For Real This Time
by herpaderpproductions
Summary: After Alvarez, Erza and Jellal reconcile their feelings for each other in private and try to keep it private. But can anyone really keep a relationship secret in a guild?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** This was originally intended to be a one-shot and then it turned into more because I'm way too in love with my OTP. Please help me I have an addiction.

This chapter occurs during Girl Talk chapter 9.

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Fairy Tail

* * *

 **For Real This Time**

Jellal was one of the few deemed badly injured enough to get an actual cot as opposed to a table. Porlyusica was busy attending to the less injured and those that had healed enough through magical means, so a couple of the doctors from the local hospital had been brought in to deal with the more seriously injured. Although Wendy had healed him the best she could with her limited supply of remaining magic – saving him a lengthy hospital stay – his ribs were still broken. The doctors had splinted his entire torso, told him to limit all activity for the next few weeks, and gave him a rather large amount of pain medication.

He had been shifting in and out of consciousness all evening. As soon as he woke up and asked to leave the guildhall (he had to get a head start on the Rune Knights), they gave him another dose of the pain medication and sedatives. At times he swore he could see Erza checking in on him and directing them to keep him from leaving.

Finally he was allowed to wake up. He tried to sit up, but his torso was far too sore to do so. He turned his head to find Erza sitting next to the bed. That gave him the extra push to sit up.

"Are the doctors gone?" He asked.

"Yes," Erza told him. "As are most of the guild members. It's late. You need to sleep."

"I need to leave," Jellal replied, painfully swinging his legs to the side of the cot. He grabbed for the pile of clothes at the bottom of his bed. "The Rune Knights will be here soon."

"You are not leaving," Erza ordered him. "The Rune Knights are not coming. Not after that battle. You, though. You are coming with me."

Erza helped Jellal put his shirt and coat on. He was too tired and drugged up to protest as she helped him hobble his way to Fairy Hills. Inside, he didn't even question the lack of women wandering around despite the fact that he knew most of the female mages were staying there that night.

Erza's room looked exactly as expected – covered in elaborate armors and weapons she'd amassed over the years. At the end of the long hallway of rooms she had him sit in a chair in her bedroom. He helped her to slip his jacket, shirt, and boots off.

He sat on the chair staring at the wall until she returned to the room (he hadn't even noticed she'd left) with a luminescent blush on her face and a soapy towel in her hand. She began to give him a sponge bath. He groaned as she scrubbed his torso a bit too roughly, but he doubted Erza knew how to scrub any more gently. She then used other washcloths to rinse and dry him off. Erza ran her fingers through his hair after spraying dry shampoo into it. He felt as clean as he could given the circumstances, but wished he could sit in a warm bath to soothe his sore muscles.

"L- let me get you something to wear," Erza said, still flustered from her efforts.

Jellal watched as she went to a dresser and pulled out a pair of sweatpants. He looked at his pants, realizing how dirty they were.

"T- these should work," Erza told him, placing them next to him on a small side table. "I- I'll leave while you change."

He watched Erza leave the room before grabbing the sweatpants. He wondered why Erza would have a pair of men's sweatpants, but had no energy to be jealous with. (Later, Erza would explain that Mira had told her that her boyfriends' pajamas were very comfortable enough that she stole them – prompting Erza to buy some Jellal-sized sweatpants to sleep in. She had also bought shirts, but apparently found it unnecessary to give Jellal one.) Painfully, he took off his pants and boxers and pulled on the sweat pants. He threw his dirty clothes into a pile with his shirt and jacket.

"Erza? You can come in," he said. Erza came in and helped the now-shirtless Jellal to her bed. She helped him lay down and began to rub his forehead.

"It's okay to sleep, Jellal," Erza told him, surprisingly calm. "You're safe here. Men are forbidden – they won't look here for you even if they come."

Against his better judgement, Jellal allowed himself to drift off to sleep.

* * *

Jellal's eyes cracked open as he felt something shift on top of him. In the haze of awakening, he could only see a scarlet head of hair in front of his eyes. He could feel his arms restrained above his head and immediately started struggling – worried that he had been captured.

"-looks like!" He heard Erza say.

He tried to sit up so that he could see who Erza was talking to, but he couldn't.

"Then what _is_ this?" A voice asked – he thought it was the barmaid, but he couldn't remember her name in his state. He heard her walk towards them and saw a very pale arm reach over towards his restraints. He was so focused on getting his wrists free that he hardly paid attention to Erza's explanation for why he was restrained – something about him trying to leave. He rubbed his sore muscles and looked over to see what had been restraining him – fuzzy handcuffs. And not only that, if Erza was to be believes, they were anti-magic fuzzy handcuffs. Another pang of jealousy hit him as he wondered why she even had them.

Mira turned directly towards him and looked Jellal in the eyes. Her gaze was absolutely terrifying – truly befitting of her name. The smile on her face was even scarier. "I understand that it's important for you to leave for your safety, but I also understand that the Rune Knights have had their forces severely depleted and therefore are focused on protecting the capital and Hargeon as it is rebuilt. You should be good for at least another couple of days so Wendy can heal you."

Jellal could do nothing but stare. He hated that she not only agreed with Erza, but had also come up with a good explanation for why he couldn't leave just yet. "Fine. We'll stay until Wendy can heal me, and then we will go. However, you must keep me up to date on Rune Knight sightings in the case that we may need to evacuate sooner."

Mira's face turned less dangerous as she turned to Erza. "That was settled more easily than I thought! Now, what can I get you for breakfast?"

Erza ordered breakfast for them. Jellal noted that she had gotten him an incredibly healthy mix of protein-packed foods while she had gotten herself strawberry pancakes. It was just like her.

Erza went to her nightstand and picked up the discarded pair of fuzzy handcuffs. She looked at them carefully. "You know, Mira forced me to buy these. She said they would come in handy. I assume she meant that in a more sexual way, but they certainly were helpful last night."

"You didn't need to use them," Jellal said. "I would have stayed."

"No, no you wouldn't," Erza replied sadly.

"I know," Jellal told her. "I would have left if I had the capacity to do so, but I was far too tired. By the time you put those on I was out for the night."

Erza reached out as if she wanted to hug him, but pulled her arms back as if she was afraid to do so. "But you'll stay?"

"I'll stay until I'm healed," Jellal assured her, reaching a hand out to grab one of her own. "I promise you that."

Erza nodded before walking away to bring his clothes to the laundry room.

* * *

Jellal was grateful that Erza had visited him all day. He had felt too sore to get out of bed, so in between trips to help rebuild the guild hall and look after the other members she had brought him books from the library of Fairy Hills. The books kept him entertained in between naps and meals.

At the end of the day a freshly bathed Erza curled up on the bed next to him. She was asleep before she could even wish him good night. He stared at her face, wanting badly to brush her bangs off of her forehead. Even more than that, he wanted to snuggle up next to her and cuddle. But he couldn't – even though he'd achieved his goal, he as still a wanted man. So he lay there, content just to sleep next to her for one more night.

* * *

In the morning Jellal felt warmer than he expected. He wondered if Erza was sleeping on top of him like she had the night before. That left his ribs hurting for the day (one of the reasons he agreed to stay in bed). He could already feel that there was no drool pooling on his chest, which was a good sign.

He turned his head towards where he felt the warmth only to find a very, very naked Erza cuddled up to his side. It certainly wasn't what he expected. If anything, it was something he never expected to find in his entire life. He looked to see where one of her legs had draped over his own. As he slowly maneuvered out of the bed, he found that there was a wet patch on the sweats where Erza's crotch had been lined up with his pants. Just what had she been doing? At the thought he felt blood rushing to his groin, telling him that he should continue whatever Erza had presumably started last night.

Jellal knew he needed a cold shower. He didn't care how tired he was or how much his body hurt – he needed to get to the shower. He looked down to see that the sweatpants were not hiding his growing erection well enough, so he grabbed his now-clean pants, shirt, and coat and began to throw them on as best he could. Erza's moans as she woke up weren't helping his condition. He couldn't help staring at her as he tried to dress.

It would be a race to get to the shower. Erza, still naked as the day she was born, was now sitting on the edge of the bed.

He slammed open the door as he ran out of her bedroom and to the bathroom. He didn't even care that Kagura and Milliana saw him. Due to his sore muscles Erza caught up to him quite easily and leaned onto him. He tried desperately not to look at her, sweating with effort. "I- I need to go to the bathroom," he excused himself. He was surprised when Erza let him go into the bathroom.

As soon as he'd closed the door behind him, he turned the shower on and began to strip. He climbed into the shower stall and leaned against the wall, trying deep breathing to calm himself down. Nothing could get the image of a naked Erza entangled in his sheets out of his head.

The door opened and Kagura called his name. He responded in turn, but instantly got nervous. This wasn't Erza, this was Kagura – someone that absolutely terrified him (and not in a good way). Not because she posed an actual threat – that had been cured through conversation – but because she had lots of leverage against him. He still felt guilty about killing Simon. He knew he always would be. Not only that, but she had saved his life. Now he owed that to her as well.

Now she was leveraging the later against him. "I didn't do mouth-to-mouth on you to fuck this up a few days later! I did it because I knew Erza would be devastated if I didn't."

He slid down the wall so he could sit on the shower floor. He tried not to think about it, but she was right: he didn't deserve to have his life saved. But Erza deserved to have who she wanted, even if he didn't deserve her. There was no good way to respond to what she'd said. Now his brain was full of self-loathing and doubts.

Leave Kagura to bring him out of that state with her incredibly blunt words and great love for Erza. At least she'd given him time to stew in his thoughts first. "So if Erza being naked gives you a boner, don't get scared. Because I'm sure Erza would want to help you with that problem. And you should let her help."

Jellal choked on his own spit out of surprise at her words. He simply couldn't comprehend what he was saying. He was willing to acknowledge that Erza truly did love him, but he refused to acknowledge that he should actually allow her to show that affection.

Slowly he stood up and began to towel off. He took time to dress, making sure he looked acceptable for Erza. He placed a towel around his neck so that his hair wouldn't drip all over his clothes in case Erza wanted to go outside to talk to him – in fact, that was probably safer.

After leaving the bathroom, he made a point of asking where Erza went even though he could see her door was closed. He was happy to hear that she was getting dressed (he didn't know if he could handle a second dose of naked Erza that morning), but made a point to knock loudly on the door to ensure she was actually dressed.

Erza opened the door, revealing that she was now dressed.

"Can we talk about this?" Jellal asked her.

"Of course," Erza said. "But first we should bid farewell to our guests."

He watched as Erza gave them tearful hugs and loving words – something they'd always been too awkward to give to eachother. Not wanting to offend Kagura or Milliana with his presence any further, he gave them a cursory farewell before following Erza out the front door of her apartment.

They walked in silence to the guild hall, close enough for their hands to brush as they walked but unwilling to hold hands.

* * *

Jellal knew this would be his last night at Erza's for a while. The members of his guild were eager to get on the road, being just as paranoid has him about getting caught. Today had also been the day that Wendy felt well enough to heal him. While Erza gave him a sad look as Wendy healed him, it was obvious she knew it was time for him to go. To appease her, he agreed that they would stay one last night and leave in the morning.

They walked over to Fairy Hills in silence. While Erza went to soak in the bath he took a shower. He put on a fresh pair of sweatpants and one of the t-shirts he assumed Erza had gotten for him and crawled into bed. Somehow, he didn't feel too out of place doing so.

Erza walked down into the room, now in her pajamas, and slipped into bed next to him.

"It's weird that it doesn't feel weird," Erza said, leaving what should feel weird unsaid.

Jellal looked her. "Meredy said that you made sure Gray would give Juvia an answer after the war."

Erza looked at him.

Jellal swallowed, suddenly nervous. "So I felt I should give you an answer." He cautiously reached a hand out to touch her hand, hoping she wouldn't pull her hand away. He sighed in relief when she didn't.

Erza looked increasingly nervous as she stared at him. To calm her nerves she began to rub her thumb along the back of his hand. Although it should have been obvious that his answer would be good by the fact that he was sitting in bed with her, she couldn't help but worry. In the past he'd given her good signals only to turn her away.

Jellal looked down at his lap, trying to steel himself. "The truth is," he paused, unable to spit it out. "The truth is… I love you. I do. I know you know that."

He wondered if he should look at Erza. She squeezed his hand reassuringly.

"I just… I don't know if I'm worthy of you," he said.

"You are," Erza said. "You've saved my ass so many times. If not for you…"

"But you've done so many more amazing things on your own, without my help," Jellal said.

"But-"

"Please let me finish, Erza," Jellal interrupted her. Somehow her objections had given him the courage he needed. "I would like to be with you, but I want to be able to give myself to you at my best, not while I'm still feeling guilty and unworthy."

"How long will I have to wait?" Erza asked, tears forming in her eyes.

"I don't know," Jellal admitted. "But I'm willing to try for you, more than ever before."

Tears were now streaming down Erza's cheeks, a small smile forming on her face.

"I should at least give you this, since I denied you on the beach," Jellal said. He awkwardly leaned towards her, but as Erza understood what he was doing, she leaned towards him.

The kiss was chaste, but both parties were thoroughly amazed at how wonderful it was. After they pulled back, both were blushing. Erza brought a hand up to touch her lips. While it was adorable, Jellal couldn't bring himself to look her in the eye – it was too cute.

"I know you're leaving tomorrow," Erza said, breaking the silence. "When will I see you again."

"I don't know," Jellal answered. "But I know you can get through it. You know you can always reach me on my communication lacrima."

Erza nodded.

"Maybe we should go to bed now," Erza suggested awkwardly. "Since you need to get up early."

"That would be a good idea," Jellal said. "Good night, Erza."

Erza quickly stole a peck on his lips before ducking under the covers to hide her deep blush. "Good night, Jellal."

And what a good night it was.

* * *

 **A/N:** So this is kinda a prologue but kinda not? I don't really know? It was intended to be a prologue but ended up getting longer and longer and longer…

The next chapter will come out at some point, but I'm going to be pretty busy so who knows exactly when. So I have left you with some fluff.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** The last chapter had a lot of fluff because there wouldn't be that much fluff (if any) in this chapter. That will be in the next chapter.

This is part 1 of the stuff referenced in Girl Talk chapter 10.

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Fairy Tail

* * *

Jellal knew he made a mistake the second he sipped the tea. Since Alvarez, his guild had been working closely with many of the legal guilds, so it wasn't surprising or suspicious for his whole guild to be invited to Saber Tooth's guild hall for a meeting.

As he slumped over in his chair, he knew Crime Sorciere had finally been caught.

* * *

Erza slumped into the guild. She had just returned from a week-long mission to trap a herd of deadly monsters (not kill them) and return them to the scientist attempting to study them. Because she couldn't kill them the job had taken longer than anticipated. It was also more tiring than anticipated – the monsters could move fast, if not far.

After Alvarez most of the money had been in rebuilding missions. Laki had been raking in the dough, but many of the guild members had taken those jobs instead of the ones to defeat monsters or capture criminals. Team Natsu was also on a temporary hiatus with Wendy spending so much time at Lamia Scale and Lucy going on her book tour. That left many lucrative jobs open for Erza. After Jellal had left, Erza had only taken a couple of days off. She wanted to distract herself from waiting for Jellal, and slashing deadly monsters was one of the best distractions.

Tonight, Erza had intended to drop off her mission slip and leave to take a day off. She would choose another job after rest. Unfortunately, her plans were foiled.

"Erza!" Laxus's booming voice said from the safety of the balcony. "Gramps wants to see you. Says he's got some work for you."

Erza sighed. She didn't want work so soon, but she wouldn't complain. She could rest later. Erza walked to the back of the guildhall where Makarov was. While his office was technically still upstairs, due to his inability to climb stairs he had been given a room downstairs.

"Master?" She asked, opening the door cautiously.

"Good evening, Erza. I was hoping you would be home tonight," Makarov greeted.

"I heard you have work for me?"

"Oh, it's nothing like you were doing. If anything it should be relaxing," he told her. "I need you to fill in for me at a meeting of guild masters in Crocus."

If anything, those meetings were less than relaxing with all the politics, business, and drinking required. "Shouldn't you send Laxus?"

"No. You're the one that suits the matter at hand best, Erza," Makarov said. "So I felt it was most appropriate to send you."

Erza looked at Makarov, wondering what the meeting was about. His vague answer to her question made her suspicious. Still, honored that he valued her that much, she decided she would go. "When do I need to leave?"  
"Tonight. I bought you tickets on the last train out. It leaves in an hour, so you should get a move on," Makarov told her. "You'll get to Crocus in the morning. I believe a representative from the palace is supposed to meet you and bring you to the meeting. Good luck!"

"The palace? What kind of meeting is this? I thought they didn't get involved in magic?"

"You'll find out when you get there, Erza," Makarov assured her. "Now get out. I have work to do."

Erza sighed and left the room, wondering what she was getting herself into.

* * *

Jellal woke up. He was surprised to find himself in an opulent room instead of a prison cell. Instead of his clothing, he was wearing nice cotton pajamas. A note was left on the night stand, which he picked up to read.

 _Jellal Fernandez –_

 _You are currently in the Palace. Right now we are discussing the fate of your guild. In the meantime, you are kindly asked to remain in this room. If you choose to leave, know that runes preventing your escape have been placed around the room._

 _We have provided clothes for you in the closet and toiletries in the bathroom. Food will be brought three times per day – 0800, 1200, and 1800, however you may order snacks as you choose. You may also request books from our library to read. While we have confiscated your communication lacrima, you are free to watch the lacrimavision in your room or read the newspaper for entertainment._

 _The other members of your guild are safe and being taken care of. You should not worry that any harm will come to you or them. This matter should be sorted out by tomorrow, although you will not be privy to our decision for some time after that._

 _-Queen Hisui_

Jellal swallowed. It was finally his day of reckoning. He hoped the fact that he was in a lavish guest room as opposed to a jail cell was a good sign, but he knew he could never be too hopeful – anything he had coming to him was his fault, after all. He only wished he could discuss this with Erza.

* * *

Erza arrived in Crocus around eight in the morning. She didn't believe she would be able to sleep on the train, and yet she had been out like a light the entire ride. In Crocus she was greeted by a palace carriage as Makarov promised. The chauffeur took her bags (a meager two this time due to lack of shopping/packing time) and helped her into the carriage.

On the ride, Erza requipped into her most impressive casual armor and brushed her hair, hoping that she would be presentable enough for the meeting – it would be hard to achieve after the long train ride.

At the palace the chauffeur handed her bags to a servant that would take them to her room for the night. A guard escorted her to a large meeting room filled with guild masters – more than she ever knew existed. It must have been all of the guild masters in Fiore.

Each master had a chair with their name on it facing a large desk at the front of the room. The most powerful guilds had their masters sitting in the front row intermixed with some members of the Magic Council, with Erza front and center. She assumed it was due to her status as Fairy Tail's representative. Sting sat to her left and Jura to her right. They both seemed rather pleased to see her – as if they knew she would be filling in for Makarov at the last minute.

"You're almost late," Sting told her.

"I wasn't able to leave until last night," Erza informed him.

"Master Makarov told me you might be late," Jura said, calm as always.

"I was on a job," Erza said.

Jura nodded.

"You've been working a lot recently, though I suspect you'll be taking a couple vacations soon," Sting said, a perverted grin on his face.

Erza stared at him – wondering if he knew about her and Jellal. That made her worry again that this was her worst fear coming true – the prequel to a trial for Crime Sorciere. She looked at her lap as horns began to sound, announcing the arrival of Queen Hisui.

The Queen walked into the room looking surprisingly business-like. She sat behind the large desk as a servant put a large stack of papers and a container of pens in front of her. Before writing anything down, she spoke.

"We are gathered here today to discuss the fate of Crime Sorciere," she said calmly.

This made Erza begin to freak out internally; on the outside she had to show that she was strong.

"As you should understand, this is my decision to make unilaterally, as their crimes were committed in Fiore. However, I have decided to listen to you – the guilds – to make a more informed decision," Queen Hisui stated. "You should also know that I will primarily be listening to those in the front row – that is, those that know Crime Sorciere best and those that I will rely on to control them with magical means if necessary.

"Execution is off the table. Because of that, this morning I would first like to listen to the guilds in favor of imprisonment," Hisui said. "The opposed guild masters will each be given two minutes to state their case. After they are all done, we shall break for lunch."

Erza sat nervously as one-by-one guild masters of smaller, weaker guilds came to express their fear and loathing of Crime Sorciere. Each statement felt a deeper insult than the last, and Erza grew angrier and more eager to speak up. When the last master was finally done speaking, Erza rushed out of the room, eager to be free of what felt like personal attacks.

"Are you okay, Erza?" Master Bob asked her.

"Of course I am," she told him, even though she wasn't really okay.

"You can always tell me what's wrong," he assured her. Despite that, Erza wasn't about to tell any member of Blue Pegasus her feelings.

She made her way to the dining room, led by a servant. She took her plate and ate as far away from the table as possible, not eager to sit with the guild masters she had heard speaking that morning.

Several mages she knew came to talk to her, trying to make sure she was feeling alright, but they left her alone when they saw her sour mood. Sting was the only one that dared to spare more than a few short words for her. After as long a conversation as Erza was willing to have, he reached into his back pocket and pulled something out. He pressed whatever it was into one of Erza's hands.

"You'll need these," he said. "Good luck." Sting winked and walked away.

Erza looked down to her hand to see a box. A box of condoms. At first she was angry, but then she began to wonder what he wasn't telling her. Based on his behavior, he had to have some information she didn't know. She quickly placed the condoms in her requip space before rushing out of the dining room to seek Sting out. Instead of doing that, a guard brought her back to the conference room.

When everyone had gathered again, Hisui sat back behind her desk. "This afternoon, before I make my final decision, I would like to hear from the guilds and individuals who have worked with Jellal since The Tower of Heaven incident. It has come to my attention that he was manipulated by a more powerful mage during that time, so I would like to hear what he is like without that malevolent influence. I believe the first individual to speak should be Jura of Lamia Scale and the Magic Council."

Jura stood up. He began to tell the audience about Jellal's attempts to destroy Nirvana and his help in defeating the Oracion Seis and his help taking down Alvarez.

Master Bob followed, reading Ichiya's account of Jellal's fight against Acnologia and Nirvana. He appeared to be skipping over parts of the account – areas Erza knew were likely inappropriate tangents, lewd statements, or otherwise unrelated to the cause.

The master of Mermaid Heel read an account from Kagura that both described the pain Jellal had caused her and her reasoning for thinking that Jellal had redeemed himself. Erza was impressed with Kagura's vivid writing – particularly her account of his actions in Hargeon. She was less impressed with the way the master read Kagura's writing – almost entirely flat.

Mest (whose presence Erza had not noted that morning) had the longest testimony. He confirmed that the council had records of him helping with Nirvana and Alvarez and stated that those accounts matched the previous testimony. Much to Erza's surprise and anger, she found out that Jellal had been risking his freedom to give Mest information. That included helping Mest during the Eclipse Gate incident and giving him information about Tartaros. Mest also mentioned that Jellal was the one who made the takedown of Avatar possible through his guild's collaboration with Erza and Gray.

The part of his testimony that caused the room to fall into silence – even those that supported Jellal's release – was Mest's admission that he had let Jellal go on numerous occasions when Mest could have easily captured him. Somehow the silence deepened when he explained that he trusted Jellal enough to personally arrange the release of the Oracion Seis into his care. Jellal had implied as much to Erza, but she hadn't known Mest was the one to arrange the deal.

After Mest's testimony, Erza was surprised that her name was not called. Instead, Queen Hisui declared that they needed to move on to the matter of the Oracion Seis. Meredy, as she explained, had not committed any crimes beyond aiding Jellal since childhood, and therefore was free to go.

The matter of the Oracion Seis was more contentious, but ultimately came down to one conclusion: since they had come under Jellal's command, they had not committed any crimes.

Hisui shuffled her papers and looked up to the crowd again. "Now, if I am to imprison them, that does not require any discussion. If I am to pardon them for their good deeds, I need to keep them accountable even if I do not believe they will reoffend. Therefore, I ask the guilds who are advocating for a pardon to suggest solutions to this."

Sting was the first to speak. "We would like the members to be split up and offered membership to those guilds powerful enough to take them. That way, they can easily be under the supervision of mages skilled enough to catch them in case they get out of hand. Which they won't."

Master Bob smiled. "Of course we would like to add some of them to our guild."

Erza snorted, knowing Sting only wanted his guild to get stronger and Master Bob found several Crime Sorciere members attractive. Despite this, she agreed with their solution. The day that Jellal could move to Magnolia would surely be one of the best of her life.

Jura looked at his Magic Council colleagues and stood up to speak. "The Magic Council opposes any member of Crime Sorciere joining a legal guild. Instead, we believe they should continue to operate as an independent guild under the direction of another organization."

"Why is that?" Hisui asked him. She was unaware of most laws governing magic, as she did not have a need to know them.

"Legal guilds and their members are prohibited from taking down dark guilds. Crime Sorciere, being independent, skirts magical laws slowing down the process, allowing them to take down dark guilds much more efficiently than the council," Jura explained. "While we do not have the desire to employ them, we simply cannot ignore how easy they have made all of our lives – including your own – by taking down dark guilds so quickly. This is a contribution they could not make as members of a legal guild."

"Noted," Hisui told him.

"However, as there appears to be stigma against them for their past actions, we believe it would be comforting to some if the guild was monitored or controlled by some organization," Jura finished.

"Thank you for your input," Hisui stated as she put her pen down. "If no one else wants to contribute, I believe this meeting is adjourned. Dinner and drinks will be served shortly in the dining room for you, and the parlor will be open for you to mingle until you choose to go to bed."

Everyone stood up and began to move out of the room. In the hallway, a hand gripped Erza's wrist. It was a guard. "Erza Scarlet? Queen Hisui has asked to meet with you privately."

Erza looked at the crowd going to the dining room before following the guard to wherever he was leading her.

* * *

The guard brought Erza to a set of double doors. He held open one door. Erza was initially confused, but then determined that she was supposed to enter. Inside Hisui sat at a small dinner table fit with a meal for two. On a side table sat a large, delicious-looking strawberry cake.

"Come in, Erza," Hisui greeted her. "Please sit."

Erza sat awkwardly, trying to appear as formal as possible.

"No need to act formal. I understand that mages don't typically deal with the royal family," Hisui told her. "Besides, sometimes it's nice to talk with a girl my own age and act like a normal girl."

Erza looked up at Hisui across the table. "T- thank you for having me."

"It's my pleasure. I'm sorry for stealing Jellal from you so suddenly," Hisui apologized.

"Stealing him?" Erza asked her.

"Haven't you noticed that he isn't answering his communication lacrima?"

"No. I don't call him that much," Erza admitted. "Where is he, then?"

"In the palace. I had Sting capture his guild for me so that I could keep them here until I made up my mind about Crime Sorciere," Hisui said.

"I was under the impression you'd already made it," Erza told her.

"I had," Hisui replied. "Or, at least I'd determined that I wanted to pardon them. I just needed to make a show of hearing the dissenting opinion first for political reasons."

Erza nodded, not knowing politics but assuming Hisui was correct in her actions.

"I didn't know what I was going to do with them after the pardon. The people with dissenting views would certainly complain if I didn't find some way to hold myself accountable for the pardon," Hisui said.

"Which is what the last part was about," Erza concluded.

"Correct," Hisui continued. "I believe I have some clarity now. I would like to hire Crime Sorciere as government employees."

Erza's eyes widened – it wasn't what she'd hoped, but it was better than Jellal being a fugitive.

"Jura is correct – as a legal guild they couldn't fight dark guilds. Dark guilds and mages threaten trade routes and may interfere with political negotiations with Alvarez," Hisui explained. "I also know that Jellal has a vast knowledge of magic and magical happenings. That knowledge would be a great asset to me as Queen."

"When will you tell him?"

"Well, I need to write the details of my decision down. I should also wait until the attention surrounding my father's abdication has died down more. I was thinking a week from today," Hisui said. "I won't tell him until the ceremony."

"Why not?"

"I would prefer that I work everything out before discussing it with him as I would like to hit the ground running, so to speak," Hisui told Erza. "Although I would like to give them all a bit of time to enjoy their freedom after the pardon, and I need time to arrange that as well. I also need to thank Jellal for all his good deeds before I ask him to work for me."

Erza hoped Jellal would spend that time with her.

"I thought that Jellal might like a romantic vacation with you, Erza," Hisui said. "So I wanted to discuss it with you first."

"W- what?" Erza exclaimed, wondering where Hisui had gotten that idea.

"You _are_ dating, correct? That's what Sting and Jura told me," Hisui said.

"N- no! That's alright," Erza stammered as she tried to figure out what to do. She knew she would appreciate a romantic vacation with Jellal, but she didn't know if he'd enjoy it as much. Then again, he said he'd try… "We- we just want to keep it secret. C- can we wait a couple of weeks after the announcement?"

"So it's not suspicious?" Hisui asked her. "If you'd like. It would give me more time to negotiate with him as well on our contract. Where would you like to go? I was thinking the Elm River Resort? I've heard that is rather private, and it's known for being a very romantic honeymoon spot."

Erza had never heard of it before – being someone that had never had a boyfriend, she'd never looked at romantic getaways. "T- That sounds fine."

"Good. Then I'll book you two a week-long stay. Once I work out the details, I'll send you a letter telling you where to go," Hisui said.

"Thank you," Erza said. "Thank you so much."

"It's no problem. For all of the trouble we've caused him and the trouble I will cause him with the job he deserves it," Hisui assured her. "Just don't tell him about it before I do."

"That shouldn't be a problem," Erza replied.

"Good," Hisui said. "Now, shall we eat?"

"Yes," Erza said, excited to finish her dinner so that she could eat the cake next to her.

* * *

 **A/N:** I hope you enjoyed that even though there wasn't much fluff. The next chapter should make up for that.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** Holy inspiration batman. I just can't stop churning this out.

This chapter is kind of dirty, but once we get really into the lemony part, I made it less detailed because yeah… Also, as I've expressed before, these two are very awkward in bed at first. But, I couldn't help writing them acting smexy at first because the smexy ideas kept coming.

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Fairy Tail

* * *

When Erza and Hisui's dinner (and cake) was finished, Hisui was the one to lead Erza to her guest room.

"I suppose I won't see you in the morning," Hisui said. "So I hope you have safe travels."

"Thank you," Erza said. "Thank you for everything."

Hisui just smiled and turned to go down the hall. Erza opened the door to the room and slipped inside. She saw that her suitcases were laid out on a luggage rack next to a fine wood dresser. The room itself was opulent – no detail was spared.

There were other, more puzzling details. The bed looked very hastily made – hardly fit for a guest. A men's jacket was draped over a chair in the corner. On the desk sat a stack of thick books alongside a pad of paper and a pen. Even more puzzling was the sound of a shower coming from what Erza assumed was a bathroom door. She cautiously moved closer to a note on the nightstand and saw who it was addressed to: Jellal.

If Hisui truly thought they were dating, as she said she did earlier, perhaps she had put them in the same room thinking it was appropriate. At the thought, Erza began to panic. She started to scramble, trying to figure out what to do. They had shared a bed before, but somehow this felt so much weirder. She needed to talk to someone – someone that wasn't Jellal. Erza pulled out her phone and dialed Mira as she slumped onto the bed.

After a couple of rings Erza was ready to give up, but Mira picked up.

"I- I- Well, I'm sharing a room with Jellal," Erza said. "I need help."

"Why are you so worried about sharing a room with him?" Mira asked her.

"I don't know," Erza admitted.

"You'll be fine – you've done it before, I don't see what's different this time," Mira encouraged her.

"W- well, I have no way out. And I've confessed to him. And he's finally confessed to me. A- And I kinda want more, but I don't know if he'll be willing. But I'm also nervous to do that because I don't know if that would be too forward and it might scare-"

"Look, Erza. I can't tell you what to do about it. Just trust your instincts and do what feels best. You'll be fine," Mira tried to convince her.

Erza panicked so rarely that she had gone down the rabbit hole of crazy reasons to be nervous. She began to spout them out before interrupting herself to ask Mira a question. "Why are you making it sound like it's going to happen tonight? I don't think it will!"

"I'm making it sound like it's going to happen because it's going to happen eventually, and why not tonight? Good night, Erza."

Erza wanted to throw her communication lacrima on the floor when Mira hung up, but she knew she would risk damaging it. She stared at the bathroom door, wondering what would happen when it opened.

Before she knew it, the door opened. Jellal came out dressed only in some low riding sweatpants and a towel draped around his neck. Never before that moment did Erza agree with the other girls that the look so frequently featured in the fitness issue of magazines was attractive. Now she understood its appeal – almost too much.

"Erza?" His deep voice rang through the silence in the room. A slight smile graced his face, as if he was pleased to see her. He obviously didn't know how much his small smirks turned her on.

Erza tried not to lick her lips as all the sexy she was experiencing. She didn't know what to do or say, so she did exactly what Mira told her to do: follow her instincts. She stood up from the bed and requipped into a dress she brought.

Slowly she walked towards Jellal, but at the last minute she pounced. Erza pressed her lips to his own. When she pulled away to look into his eyes she could see his expression change from shocked to loving. He pulled her back to him and began to kiss her furiously.

Although he appeared to be more into it than she thought he would be, Erza knew she had to be the one to lead him to the bed. She broke off the kiss, grabbed him by the towel, and tugged until he followed her towards the bed. Once there she dropped the towel onto the floor and flipped them around so that she could push him onto the bed. As he lay on the bed she climbed to straddle his lap and resumed her assault on his mouth. She ran her hands down his abs – as she had always wanted to – and placed her hands on his hips. Because they were kissing, Jellal couldn't see the deep blush on her face or feel the perverted smile she so desperately suppressed.

She was shocked when Jellal reached around her for the zipper on her dress and laughed when he couldn't find it. She nuzzled his nose before requipping it off, revealing the black set of lingerie underneath. "This was a dress made with my abilities in mind."

"As your Celestial Armor was made with me in mind?" Jellal asked her seductively. Erza forgot how smooth he could be. If he wasn't drunk, it was usually accidental, but this appeared to be intentionally flirtatious.

"And how did you know that?" Erza raised an eyebrow.

"I would say the magic it used, but that would be wrong," Jellal told her.

Erza collapsed onto his torso, trying not to laugh at his bad pick-up line. Her arms moved to snake up around his shoulders.

"Was it _that_ bad?" Jellal asked her.

"Yes," she responded. To show him she didn't care, she kissed him again.

Jellal tried to unhook her bra, but was unable to find the hook. She broke the kiss and sat up to show him that the hook was on the front. It was a sexier option, but one Jellal had never seen before. Erza smiled down as she saw him eagerly throw it away. He sat up to begin kissing down her torso. Finding that uncomfortable, Jellal flipped them over so that she was on the bed. She only tolerated that long enough to begin pulling down his sweatpants.

"E- Erza," he said, obviously embarrassed that they might finally make love. She didn't care about any nerves he had, working to tug the sweatpants the rest of the way down. As soon as she was done, Erza flipped them over so that she was back on top. Despite his hesitation to do so, Jellal thought Erza's actions with his pants indicated she wanted her panties off – so he began to pull down on them, only to see Erza's face go tomato red. She turned her face away from them, but put her hands on his to encourage his action.

As soon as both were naked, Erza wrapped her hands around Jellal's member and aligned it with herself. Jellal knew that she needed more foreplay, but was too embarrassed to express it. Besides, her panties had been wet, so he assumed she might be okay despite his logic.

When Erza sank down on him, he swore he'd died and went to heaven. This was much better than any sex he'd had before. So good, in fact, that he came very quickly – embarrassingly so. He was worried that he had disappointed Erza, but she bent down to kiss him. She snuggled into his chest.

"I- it's okay," she said. "I heard that happens to guys sometimes… Besides, Mira said I probably would be too nervous to cum myself, which was true."

Jellal could feel something leaking onto his leg. Although initially he thought it was the normal byproducts of sex, he felt something was wrong. "E- Erza? Could you move off of me?"

Erza obliged, rolling off of him. Jellal could see blood dripping down both of their legs. He sighed with relief that none had reached the comforter. Knowing he needed to act fast, he grabbed the tissue box from the nightstand and gave some to Erza. Seeing where he had been looking, Erza immediately began to clean up. She pressed tissues between her legs so she could move onto the toilet. Jellal quickly cleaned himself up, pulled his sweatpants on, and followed her.

"Does it hurt? Are you okay?" He asked, bringing the tissue box with him.

"It's not painful at all – none of it was," Erza said, blushing. "It felt really good. Better than I was expecting the first time."

Erza felt embarrassed as Jellal continued fussing over her. Until she kicked him out of the bathroom he was asking her if she wanted him to call the palace doctor. It was a bit concerning that she was using up the tissues quickly, but as she got to the end of the box the bleeding had died down. She wasn't concerned – bleeding was normal.

She sighed, knowing she had ruined the rest of the night. Erza had imagined they'd do it at least a couple more times, but now Jellal was too worried. Frankly, she didn't want to reopen any tear herself. Staying in the palace was a privilege, and getting blood all over the sheets might get that privilege revoked. To finish cleaning up, she took a quick shower and requipped into fresh pajamas.

"Are you sure you're okay, Erza? I didn't mean to hurt you," Jellal said as she stepped out of the bathroom.

"N- no! I'm the one that went too quickly," Erza apologized to him. She wanted to kiss him, but didn't know if that would make him feel worse, so she pressed her forehead to his own.

He placed his hands on her waist and moved her onto the bed – where he'd peeled the sheets back. Jellal pulled the sheets up, trying to tuck her in, but Erza sat up with her back resting on the pillows. She patted the bed next to her so Jellal would sit back down. Before he did so, he grabbed a wine bottle off the desk and poured them glasses. Erza assumed he had ordered it while she was in the shower.

"E- even though it was a bit hard this time, can we do that again? Not tonight, but soon?" Erza asked him nervously.

"Of course, if we see each other soon," Jellal replied. "I'm sure you know that the first time doesn't usually go well. We'll just have to practice."

Erza blushed when he said practice, even if that was exactly what she was thinking. She regretted that she couldn't tell him they would be seeing each other soon, and in a much more romantic place.

"Erza," Jellal said, suddenly more serious. "We didn't use protection. I suppose I shouldn't have assumed you were on birth control, but I did."

"You assumed correctly. I don't need my period interrupting missions," Erza informed him. "So we should be okay."

He nodded, smiling fondly. "I love you, you know that, right?"

Erza wondered what prompted the statement, but didn't ask. "I know."

"Even if I don't see you again – even if Queen Hisui has other plans for me, I want you to know that," Jellal continued his pervious thought. "You probably know what she decided. I was told you were here for the guild masters' meeting today."

"Yes, I was," Erza said, looking at her wine glass. "I can't tell you what she decided – she would like to discuss it with you separately – but I can tell you that you won't be entirely happy with her choice. I certainly am not. But, it was better than some alternatives, and I believe it's what's best at this moment in time."

"She is very cunning," Jellal added. "Much more so than she seems."

"The decision was ultimately political," Erza told him. "I wish I understood politics, but I know I never will."

"I was involved in politics for a good part of my teenage years and I still don't understand them," Jellal reassured her. "I don't think intelligence or logic has as much to do about it as much as knowing your enemy."

"Hey, Jellal?" Erza asked, looking up at him.

"Yes?"

"Were you really curious about the celestial armor?" Erza questioned him. "I didn't know you'd ever seen it."

"It was featured in an article about your newest armors," Jellal told her.

"I forgot about that," Erza said. "But you read it?"

"Not so much read it as had Meredy shove it in my face," Jellal admitted. "I'm not nearly the fan of magazines that she is. But I did read the article."

Erza knew that was because it was about her. She smiled at the thought. "Why did you assume I designed it?"

"I thought you picked out your armors?"

"Not that one. I usually commission new ones based on whatever holes I feel I have in my selection of armor," Erza explained. "Your magic is so beautiful that I had wanted an armor with it for some time. However, that type of magic is so rare that it's hard to get it enchanted into an armor. Shortly after Tartaros I heard the power of an old heavenly body mage had been sealed in a lacrima and I got very excited, so I immediately called Mira up. I went searching for the lacrima while I trusted her to contact Heart Kreuz for a design."

"You should know not to trust Mira by now," Jellal told her.

"Why do you say that?" Erza asked him.

"I know she's your friend, but even you complain that she can be too devious sometimes," Jellal reminded her. He had actually heard that from Laxus, but he wasn't about to drag his friend into this.

"True," Erza agreed. "But Heart Kreuz never lets me participate in the design process, so I didn't think they'd let her help – but I guess she is a famous model, so they trusted her. As usual Heart Kreuz sent it to the family that enchants the armor for me, so I didn't see it until it was time to pick up the finished product – and by then it's too late."

"Are you going to get it altered then?" Jellal asked her.

"Not if you like it," Erza told him.

"Oh, I do like it," Jellal replied. He didn't want to say that he was jealous other men would see her in it. He desperately hoped that Ichiya would never see it.

"It's also one of my more powerful armors, so I don't use it unless I have to. I don't even bring it with me unless I anticipate the job is exceptionally difficult," Erza said. "And if I go on a job with you, there would be no reason to bring it. Well, unless you would like to see it up close."

"You don't have it with you right now?"

"No. For a simple meeting I typically bring more formal things to wear along with the mainstays of my collection," Erza informed him. "But I'll show it to you next time I see you."

"I'll look forward to it," Jellal said.

He put his wine glass on his nightstand so that he could lean over and kiss her again. She pulled back to put her wine glass down on the night stand. He wondered what she was doing – he wouldn't have sex again that night for fear of making her bleed more, but he appreciated the kiss. Erza wrapped her arms around him and snuggled in as close as she could get.

"Are you going to bed?" Jellal asked her.

She mumbled out a "Yes" and "Good Night" to his chest. Soon enough, she was snoring. He chuckled at her before kissing her head and falling asleep himself.

* * *

When Jellal woke up, he found that Erza had once again drooled all over his chest (he suspected that it would be an ongoing problem). He worried about waking her up, but he knew he needed to get to the bathroom, so he took the risk of moving her. She moaned quietly as he moved her and tucked her back in to bed. He saw no signs that she'd awoken.

Erza woke up to the smell of hot strawberry syrup and waffles. She sat up lazily and looked around, reminding herself that she was in the palace. Jellal, now dressed in fine clothing the palace had likely provided, walked over to her with a tray of food. She didn't know what looked more delicious – the food or her (now) boyfriend.

"Good morning, Erza," Jellal said as he placed the tray on her lap. He gave her a good morning kiss before grabbing his own tray.

"G' morning," Erza mumbled.

"I know it's early, but you need to get up. The last train that will reach Magnolia today leaves at nine. It's 7:30 right now. I believe the chauffeur came by to say he would come by to get you at 8:15," Jellal told her.

"I'll be ready," Erza grumbled. "I can just requip. That usually combs my hair for me."

Jellal chuckled. "But you'll still need to brush your teeth," he pointed out.

Erza began to eat quickly, knowing she'd have to get ready to leave soon.

"Will you be back to visit?" Jellal asked her.

"I believe you'll have to visit me first," she said. "Or perhaps we'll have to meet elsewhere."

Jellal wondered if she was implying something, considering that she knew Hisui's decision. He didn't dare ask – knowing she wouldn't tell him. Until he found out, he would have to enjoy the time he had left with her that morning.

* * *

 **A/N:** I hope you enjoyed and felt less awkward then I did writing this. I won't have much time to write any more for a while, so we'll see when I pick this back up…


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** So here we go. This chapter is kind of short, and you'll have to wait for the next chapter for things to get fluffy. Idk how long that will take, but we'll see.

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Fairy Tail

* * *

After their pardoning Crime Sorciere found themselves sitting around a dinner table with Queen Hisui. They poked around at their food, anxious to get out of the castle and enjoy their freedom. Still, Queen Hisui had insisted, so here they were.

"I know you're anxious to leave," the Queen admitted. "But we have some matters to address. As I'm sure you're aware, there were some people who were against your pardon, therefore there are conditions of your pardon."

Erik glared at her. Sorano crossed her arms and turned her head away. Macbeth stared. Sawyer was ready to make a break for it. Richard looked entirely unaffected. Jellal waited cautiously, remembering what Erza had told him about Queen Hisui's decision.

"There are three conditions," Hisui announced. "First: You are banned from joining any legal guilds. You may go on legal missions with members of legal guilds, hang out in their guild halls, and act as a guild member. You just aren't allowed to officially join. That is, you will remain members of Crime Sorciere."

None of the mages seemed too opposed to the idea.

"Second: You must maintain a permanent residence at the palace, which will hold the headquarters of Crime Sorciere."

"So we're under your command?" Erik revealed her intent for her.

"Yes and No. Technically, your guild will be employed as my official anti-dark guild taskforce. In reality, I have no intention of keeping you tied down to the palace, so you are free to do what you wish. Which brings us to condition three: you will be allowed to choose which dark guilds and mages to take down unless it is determined they are an immediate threat to Fiore, in which case you will be required to defeat them. That will be the only time you will be tied to your job under my command."

"And what do we get for all this?" Sawyer asked.

"Why should we tie ourselves down to this at all?" Sorano agreed.

"I will allow you to be as free as you want as long as there isn't a threat. You can also continue your quests for redemption by defeating dark guilds as you want," Queen Hisui said.

"We can do that without you," Sorano pointed out.

"Yes, but I will give you free room and board along with a salary even if there is no work for you to do for me," Hisui told them.

"How much?" Sorano asked.

"It's negotiable, but I believe it will be around three million jewels," Queen Hisui said.

"That's hardly enough," Sorano replied indignantly.

"Well, you will have free room and board with me. You will also get reward money for any legal jobs you take and for any dark mages you capture. I also intend to give you a clothing and food stipend along with providing equipment for you," Hisui offered.

Sorano didn't reply, not wanting to acknowledge that the deal wasn't terrible.

"As an additional benefit, you will all have the next month to do what you wish. There should be funds for train tickets and hotel stays in your rooms waiting for you," Hisui informed them. "As long as you don't do anything illegal, I don't care what you do. However, you need to be back a month from tomorrow to move into the new headquarters. After that, if there is nothing to do and Jellal doesn't have any dark guilds for you to defeat, you will again be free to leave. From there on out you will only be required to show up occasionally at your headquarters in order to show your detractors that you are indeed under my command. I intend to have Jellal contact you when he would like to meet up for your work."

Erik grinned. "So we can do what we want?"

"As long as it is not illegal," Hisui corrected him.

"I don't intend to," Erik replied. "But otherwise, fine. I'll take your deal. I'm sure I can find some use in the Palace."

"Can we have access to the library?" Macbeth asked.

"Of course. You will have access to all of my resources," Queen Hisui replied.

"Fine," Macbeth said.

"If I have to," Sorano practically whined. "I'll do it."

"Yeah, sure. Might as well," Sawyer said.

Richard was obviously in – he didn't even need to answer.

Jellal nodded. "I'll agree to this."

Meredy smiled. "It's a better outcome than I expected! Of course I'll do it."

"Good. Now you will all be free to go on vacation tomorrow morning. Jellal, you'll be staying here to help me out with some things for the next three weeks, so you'll only have the last week to yourself."

Jellal watched his fellow Crime Sorciere members slink out of the room. They all seemed as pleased as he could expect them to be given that they were free, but not entirely so. He wondered why he was still there – he was just as anxious to leave the Palace and visit Erza.

"Now, Jellal," Hisui said. "You won't be getting vacation for another few weeks – you'll be helping us create your new headquarters. However, I have another proposal for you."

"I would prefer not to," Jellal answered – eager to be free, even if he felt he still needed some more punishment."

"You will hear me out," Hisui commanded him.

"Of course," Jellal responded.

"As you well know, my government – the mundane one – has few ties to those that govern magic. I would not like that to change, but I would like to know more about what the magical world's affairs so that I can make better decisions for the non-magical aspects of Fiore," Hisui explained. "You are not only friends with some powerful guild masters and magic council members, but are also familiar with the political workings of that world. At the same time, you are not in their employ – you are in my employ. Therefore, I believe you to be a perfect candidate to be one of my advisors."

Jellal couldn't argue with her on her need for a magical advisor, particularly with her previous Eclipse Gate stumble and the injection of magic into international politics with the rise of the Alvarez Empire, but he wasn't keen to do it.

"And, although you will need to legitimately live her and attend regular meetings for the job, your job will obviously require you to embed yourself back into the community of mages," Hisui pointed out. "So I will allow you to take leaves to do jobs of your own and visit friends both at the council and in guilds whenever you feel it necessary, as long as you can participate in the meetings and provide me with information in a timely fashion."

Jellal sighed. She had sweetened the deal, but it still wasn't necessarily good enough.

"You will also receive a salary well beyond what the members of your guild will, and all of your travel expenses will be covered as 'job necessities,' even if you are just going to visit your friends," Hisui offered. "Oh – and I should say that I have already booked a vacation for you and a companion at the Elm River Resort, contingent on you accepting this offer."

Jellal swallowed. He wondered if that companion was Erza – he suspected that Hisui was aware of their relationship, and he was more than aware of the resort's reputation as a private getaway for wealthy couples. "Fine. Then I will agree to your terms for now, but I would like to reserve the right to amend them as necessary."

"That is all the guarantee I need," Hisui said, handing him a pen and paper to sign.

Jellal signed it, not fully prepared for what he was getting into.

* * *

Back in Magnolia, Erza was shuffling around her apartment nervously. Now that it was announced, she couldn't show anyone in the guild but Mira how excited she was that Jellal was pardoned, so she needed to get the energy out.

The previous couple of days Erza had gone on a long run every morning and trained. Today would be a different sort of training – a day with Mira. It was the first day Mira had off in weeks, and the first she would have off until Erza left for her vacation with Jellal, so this was the only day they had to come up with a plan.

After Mira had seen what she was working with, she had insisted that Erza needed more clothes that would be good for a date, so Erza assumed that would be what the majority of the day would be used for. Of course, she knew Mira would pull something else, it _was_ Mira, after all.

Exactly at 9am Erza met Mira at the café where they would begin their long day of shopping. To her horror, Mira had apparently written up a list of things she'd need – things Erza wasn't convinced she needed.

They started the day off well enough, stopping at one of Erza's favorite stores to buy casual clothes that would be good for any activities they had planned – dresses, pants, sexy but fashionable shirts. That was in Erza's wheelhouse. What happened next was less so.

"Okay, so we know you'll need more lingerie, so we'll need to go to a couple of boutiques here," Mira said. "I called up a few to see what they had in stock, so I already have an idea of what I need to get you."

The first shop they walked into was a boutique that Erza recognized as Mira's favorite. She didn't even know why Mira needed as much lingerie as she had, but for whatever reason this is a place Mira frequently shopped in. That was when Erza saw the wall of tiny bikinis on the wall – many of which she liked. She began to thumb through them as Mira went to the counter to talk to the young girl minding the shop.

On one particular hangar she saw the strangest bikini bottoms she'd ever seen. Erza picked them up curiously. Somehow, as Mira apparently did in these situations, Mira had carefully snuck up behind Erza.

"Maybe you should get those," Mira pondered. "They'd look great on you. In fact, I should probably get myself a pair! They're getting very fashionable."

Erza looked up at Mira, trying not to show her confusion.

"They're cheeky bottoms – so they only cover half your butt cheeks! Sexy but not quite as scandalous to wear in public as a thong," Mira informed her. "But I still wouldn't wear it at an overly family-friendly beach. Jenny caused quite the scandal by doing that last summer."

Mira rifled through the colors. "I think I'll go with white to match my hair. But you should get black so you can mix-and-match with the rest of your bikinis."

Erza nodded, letting Mira have her fun. Besides, she knew Jellal would appreciate the purchase.

"Now I guess they sold out of what I was looking for for you, so we'll need to go elsewhere," Mira told her.

Apparently elsewhere was no less than every lingerie-carrying store in Magnolia – before Mira had them return to the first boutique they entered. By the end of the day, Erza swore she had tried on everything in that store, but Mira wasn't convinced.

"Where's the new stock – the stuff that was delivered this morning?" Mira asked the terrified shop girl. Erza knew Mira had some specific piece in mind – probably something Mira wanted to see Erza in.

The shop girl brought out a couple of boxes and placed them on the counter to calm Mira. Mira looked at the boxes, opened one, and smiled. That was when Erza knew to be nervous.

"I thought you'd only need one new set, but apparently I was wrong."

Apparently Erza wasn't fully prepared either.

* * *

The morning Jellal was set to depart for his vacation, he was exhausted. So very exhausted. The last three weeks had been three weeks of hell. As he tried to figure out how to properly turn in a recently decommissioned Palace guard barracks into his guild's headquarters – decorations and all – he was drawn to innumerable meetings, forced to "meet" with the sycophants of the Queen's court, scheduled for at least two interviews with the press about his new role as an advisor to the Queen, and had to dodge the courtesans and young noble women eager to bed the "hot young commodity" as he was known.

He was far more excited to go on vacation than he let on. A week of relaxation was well warranted. Even on the run with Crime Sorciere, he'd never felt that stressed out. Queen Hisui assured him it would all die down once the court got used to him, but somehow he doubted that. He was, after all, a curiosity: an orphan of no status, one of the greatest mages of his generation, a former felon, and one of the Queen's advisors despite it all. Of course they would want to talk to him.

Without questioning anything, he grabbed the suitcase Hisui had arranged for him (he was too tired to check the contents beyond a quick scan for anything inherently dangerous) and made for the train station – using meteor to avoid being stopped by any noble eager to gain his favor.

As soon as he got on the train he immediately gravitated towards the private room Hisui had booked for him and collapsed on the bench, eager to sleep.

* * *

Erza was just as tired as Jellal, but not for the same reasons. The night before she had been up all night talking desperately to Mira and reading every women's magazine she could find – trying to figure out how she could act like a good girlfriend. She knew she would never be able to do it, and Mira had convinced her to act like herself, but that didn't mean she didn't want to find new ways to please him.

If her first time was any indication, she knew a lot less about sex than she thought. That, and romance novels were well off the reality. She took that as a challenge – a challenge she was determined to meet.

In her determination, she forgot to pack. Well, she forgot to put everything she needed into her requip space.

It was only when she woke up late from the hour of sleep and rushed to the train station she did get that she realized she'd forgotten to bring any makeup. That meant she had to rush, at the last minute, to the closest drug store she could find to get herself a whole new makeup set. Only then could she rush to get on the train – only five minutes before it was scheduled to leave.

She looked at her ticket to find that Hisui had booked her a private room. When she entered she found that Jellal was already collapsed on the bench, so she collapsed right on top of him.

* * *

 _Omake_

"Why do we have to do this again?" Sorano whined to the two girls she was standing with.

"Oh, you know, maybe because the Queen asked us to," Meredy reminded her.

"But neither Yukino nor I even know what Jellal likes – he always just wears those same long, brooding coats and big boots," Sorano told her. "Certainly not for a romantic date or anything like Queen Hisui wants us to get."

"If he can even _be_ romantic," Meredy said as she ran her hands over various racks of clothing.

Yukino held up a plain white button-up shirt. "Shouldn't this work? It's not special or anything, but most men have one."

"Other than mages," Sorano grumbled.

"Exactly like Jellal then," Meredy replied, taking the shirt from Yukino's arms.

As Meredy and Yukino continued to sort through men's clothes in store after store trying to find things they thought Jellal wouldn't burn and Erza would like, Sorano sneaked off. They didn't see her until they sat exhausted at a café.

"I believe I found something you forgot," Sorano's voice loomed over them.

"What?" Yukino asked, very confused.

"We spent all the money she gave us – we got all sorts of clothes for him – even swimsuits and underwear," Meredy insisted.

"Apparently not this," Sorano said. She opened the bag to show a box from one of the swankiest menswear stores in Fiore. "I pre-ordered it through the palace's tailor as soon as Hisui told us our job."

"A suit?" Yukino asked.

"A well-fitted suit," Meredy stared in awe. "What the magazines always say is the sexist thing a man could wear."

"Exactly. Erza will love it," Sorano said.

"So much that no one but her will see him in it," Meredy told her.

"And isn't that the point?"

* * *

 **A/N:** Sorry for the delay! Hope you enjoyed


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N:** It was really hard to find good inspiration for this. Erza and Jellal are more interesting in the context of others, not just themselves. Also people tend to be boring on vacation when they're relaxing. So this is more a series of vignettes than anything, but it still ended up being really long.

This chapter could be very lemony, but it was already long and I feel awkward writing lemons so it ended up being on the tamer side of things, so I hope you enjoy despite that.

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Fairy Tail

* * *

Erza and Jellal stumbled into the lobby of the resort around the dinner hour. After the train ride, it had been another hour in a carriage to reach the secluded resort. They wanted to quickly check in and collapse in their room but a woman stopped them.

"Welcome to Elm River Resort," the woman said. "I am the manager, Alice."

Erza and Jellal tried their best to greet her.

"I know you're tired after your day of travel, so why don't we sit down for some food while the staff bring your bags upstairs," the woman said, directing them to a secluded table in a lavish dining hall. Neither Erza nor Jellal felt prepared to dine in such an environment in their wrinkled clothes. The other diners were all obviously the crème de la crème of Fiore's society. Most were much older than the mages.

Erza and Jellal sat down and ordered food to eat – the menu being filled with gourmet options, they just picked whatever seemed best.

"Now, Queen Hisui has told me that you are not actually a couple," the Manager said. "Unfortunately, we are booked, so you will have to share a room. I hope that will be alright?"

"That's just fine," Jellal said. "We have known each other for some time, so we've run into this situation before."

"We've set up a couch bed in the living room so that you are able to have private rooms to yourself," the manager told them politely. "As I understand that mages can be a source of fascination, particularly you two with the recent pardon of Mr. Fernandez and Mrs. Scarlet's accomplishments, so we will try our best to keep your stay as private as possible. Along that line, Queen Hisui has requested that you two should be allowed to do activities privately. I would like you to read the activity brochure while you eat and give me a rough outline so that I can arrange the schedules of the other guests around yours."

"We don't need to do anything," Jellal said, not seeing that Erza was already hungrily looking at the brochure. "But we'll check it out."

"Good. I'll come back at the end of dinner to discuss what you would like to do."

* * *

The first morning at the resort Erza was surprised to find that she had slept in until well past nine. Usually she was up with the sun. Jellal was still entirely out, so Erza slipped out of bed and made herself presentable for breakfast. When she arrived in the dining room, she found that there wasn't any breakfast left – only brunch – a mixture both breakfast and lunch foods paired with sweets. It was a perfect, if fancy for her tastes, way to start her vacation. She ate for an hour, waiting for Jellal to show up, but he never did, so she quickly requipped into a swimsuit and went out to the pool. When she was packing Erza had put a number of books into her requip space for such an occasion, so she easily picked out one book and lay on a recliner happily reading.

When Jellal woke up he wasn't initially distressed to find Erza missing, but when he did realize it he sat up to look around. The bedside clock told him it was well past noon – later than he'd ever slept in. If he knew Erza, she was either working out or relaxing in the sun. He made himself presentable as quickly as possible and went to the lobby and dining hall – she was nowhere to be found. She also wasn't in the gym. He went to the last place to look: the pool.

Among the wealthy middle-aged couples chatting by the bar and relaxing in the pool Erza easily stood out. Jellal caught a few of the other patrons (men in particular) stealing glances at her. Reclining in a chair wearing nothing but a tiny bikini and sunglasses propped on top of her head, her seductive brown eyes peered over the edge of her book at him. She was carefully placing a pink and orange drink onto a table next to her. What the other patrons didn't notice was the faint blush on her cheeks.

"Good morning, Jellal," she greeted him as he approached.

"You mean good afternoon," he replied. He wanted to greet her with a kiss, but with so many eyes on them it would've been too obvious. He sat on the chair next to her own.

"Yes, good afternoon," Erza corrected herself. "Did you grab any lunch?"

Jellal shook his head.

"You need to eat, Jellal," Erza said. Her book disappeared back into her requip space and she clumsily tried to flag down the waiter delivering drinks to the guests – it was obvious she didn't go to fancy parties often.

"Here," Jellal offered, raising his hand. The waiter noticed and came over, ready to take his order. Jellal ordered a sandwich and a glass of water – his order was so simple that the waiter gave him a questioning glance, as if to remind him that he could be getting something much nicer.

"Why don't you go get your swimsuit on? We could get into the hot tub or play some volleyball," Erza told him.

"Maybe later," he said. "I'm pretty content right now to eat out here."

Erza nodded, picking up her drink. "Would you like to try it? Mira said I should try one of these. It's certainly good, but not my favorite."

Jellal didn't like fruity drinks, and this looked fruity (and he didn't trust Mira), but he couldn't say no to such a small and easy request. He took the drink from her hand and sipped it. Surprisingly, he didn't hate it.

Seeing Jellal take a second sip, Erza spoke up. "Sex on the Beach. Do you want it?"

Jellal almost spit the bit of liquid in his mouth out, wondering why Erza was asking him that in such a public space. Not only that, but he knew Erza wanted to have sex on a beach – and there was a secluded beach only a two mile hike away.

"Sex on the Beach – the drink," Erza said, breaking Jellal out of his panicked trance. "I was wondering if I should order one for you. All our food and drinks we get here are on the house per the Queen's request, so I figure we should take advantage of that."

"N- no thanks," Jellal said. "I don't quite want alcohol this early in the day. Perhaps at dinner."

"It's not early, Jellal," Erza said. Seeing the waiter bringing his water, Erza took matters into her own hands, indicating her drink. "Can I get another one of these?"

Jellal groaned, still wondering if the usually oblivious Erza was trying to use this as a hint.

* * *

It was not a hint. After an afternoon reading by the pool the couple went to eat dinner. As they talked, dinner stretched out to two hours. By the time they returned to their room, Erza was already getting ready for bed, and Jellal was left to stay up reading in the other room of the suite.

The next morning he was lucky enough to wake up with Erza, but she demanded they order room service – again, not a hint, but rather a result of Erza wanting to try room service – this being the first time she really had an excuse to order it. Not that Jellal was complaining. He was still too groggy to go to the dining room and that meant he was certainly too tired to have sex. A good morning kiss was enough.

Jellal knew this was a day Erza was very excited for. While he could spend the day reading or going out for a long run, Erza had booked a literal full day at the spa. He had reluctantly agreed to having a massage with her, but he had to politely decline any further treatments. As long as Erza got what she wanted, she wasn't going to force him to go through the facial or mud bath or mani-pedi or body scrub she wanted.

He watched a very happy Erza practically bounce out of the room after she kissed him goodbye. It almost made him want to accompany her – until he remembered how much he hated spas.

In the late afternoon he met Erza for the massage, but only after spending a good two hours in the gym so that he could ensure he would fully appreciate it. Upon arriving at the spa, he was asked to change into a robe and directed to a room overlooking the ocean. Erza was already lying prone on a table, naked except for a towel covering her butt. If there wasn't a masseuse in the room, the scene would've been too sexy for him to ignore.

Jellal only removed the top of the robe before lying down himself. Another masseuse – a man – came into the room and began to work on his back.

The entire hour they were in the room neither Jellal nor Erza talked. Jellal wondered why it was necessary that they were in the same room if they were expected to remain quiet, especially because he couldn't reach out and grab Erza's hand. Well, he could, but he didn't want to blow their cover. After looking over to see Erza smiling back at him, he managed to sink into the massage and relax. Finally it felt like he could enjoy the vacation.

* * *

The morning of the third day they woke up late again. Thankfully this was one of their few free days. After eating brunch together they left on a run down the coast. It took them all afternoon as they walked on the beach and looked out from the top of cliffs. By the time they returned to the resort, the sun had set.

When they returned they returned to the room to wash off the sweat before heading to dinner. Jellal tried not to smile as he watched a thoroughly embarrassed Erza ask him to take a shower with her. Although he agreed to do so, he was simply to tired to have sex, and was concerned that he would let Erza down in that respect.

In the shower, Erza worked on washing Jellal's back, scrubbing harder than he liked. He assumed she liked being scrubbed like that herself, but was relieved when Erza assured him he could simply wipe off the sweat. As he worked, Erza moaned in satisfaction. She turned around to kiss him a few times but didn't make any further attempts to initiate anything of a sexual nature. He found out why when they went to get dressed.

"Those magazines lied," Erza said as she watched Jellal get dressed.

Jellal swallowed, wondering what she was going on about – hopefully not him.

"They said that exercising with your boyfriend will turn you on and lead to great sex because it increases blood flow to the genitals," Erza told no one in particular. "But that didn't happen."

Jellal paused, wondering if she was angry that he didn't initiate it.

"I was so sweaty I don't even know why you would want to have sex with me," Erza told him.

Jellal didn't know what to say to that. "I'm always willing to have sex with you," he lied. He wasn't willing to have sex at that moment, now being both tired and hungry.

"Are you sure?" Erza stared at him, amazed he could ignore her post-workout sweat.

"No," he replied honestly. "I also felt far too gross for you after that run. Not to mention the need for food."

"Of course," Erza said. "But you'll need to finish getting dressed for that."

He put on his jacket and grabbed her arm, leading them to the dining room.

That night after dinner, he was willing to overcome his fatigue when Erza requipped into a scarlet nightie - an item he suspected was among those Mira had bought for her. Although he often hated Mira, this made him truly appreciate her genius, even after he quickly rid Erza of the garment.

* * *

The fourth day, Erza had insisted on going fishing for the afternoon. The chefs at the resort assured her that they would cook whatever fish she caught, as long as it was big enough. So Jellal walked out to the end of a long pier with Erza and set up their borrowed fishing equipment.

As they waited for a bite, they chatted – this time in a much more serious matter. Looking out at a stretch of sea near where the Tower of Heaven had been they spent time discussing their memories and lamenting the tragedy of the tower. Both wondered if they'd ever return to observe what was left of it, but they decided it wouldn't be the best idea – at least not at the point in life they were at.

By dinner time they'd caught three large fish much to Jellal's surprise – the cooks told him fishing was best in the morning. They watched as the chefs cooked their fish and delighted in eating the result of their waiting. It was already a good day, but then Jellal proposed going out to the hot tub to relax.

Erza knew she couldn't live the cliché of making out or having sex in a hot tub like the magazines suggested, but she still looked forward to it. She waited for Jellal to get ready before she headed outside with him. As soon as she got to the hot tub, she requipped her cover-up off. Jellal felt his eyes widen as he saw how little of her butt the bottoms covered. He pushed her into the nearby pool to block the sight from his vision (and that of the perverted older men he saw ogling her).

Erza surfaced and pulled him right in behind her. They both surfaced, laughing.

"Should we get to the hot tub?" Jellal asked her, holding a hand out as a peace offering.

Erza laughed and followed him. They settled into the hot tub next to each other. As they sat there, Jellal told her all about the various constellations in the sky. She sat and listened late into the night as he told her the mythology associated with each one.

They got back to the room after hours in the hot tub. As soon as they got back with the door closed Erza requipped into sexy lingerie the color of the night sky and pushed him onto the bed. What she had worn the night before was sexy, but tonight she looked hotter than he had ever seen her, so he jumped. Unfortunately, her still wet skin made getting the lace off her body exceptionally difficult. Eventually she simply requipped it off of herself.

"I love you, you know that?" He whispered in her ear as he finally entered her.

Erza was so surprised and turned on by his words that she could barely moan out a quick "Yes" before she came around him. She squeezed him, causing him to cum shortly after.

"I'm sorry that was so fast," he said.

"It's alright. We have to get up early tomorrow anyways," she told him. "Besides, that was so hot I didn't care."

"Speaking of hot, that swimsuit tonight," he told her as he snuggled up to her.

"Mira's fault," Erza told him.

"I didn't push you into the pool because I hated it – I loved it," he told her. "I hated the stares from all the old men."

"You'll have to get used to them, Jellal," she said. "May I remind you how many admirers you have?" She rolled over to kiss him once more before they fell asleep.

* * *

On the fifth day they had chosen to go snorkeling. The resort's boat had been destroyed during the war while getting repaired in Hargeon, so they had to go on a group trip. Despite Hisui's insistence on their privacy – presumably so their vacation could be romantic, snorkeling was hardly romantic, so neither cared at all. After an hour-long ride from the resort – which sat in a forest north of Hargeon – they arrived at the harbor they were so familiar with.

Erza immediately went to check in while Jellal got in the line to get on the boat. She approached the booth and saw a surprised look on the face of the young attendant. Having never done this before – checked in for any sort of fun activity – she wasn't sure how to do it.

"Ah, a- are you here to check in?" The young attendant asked.

"Yes," Erza told her.

"Y- your name?" Erza suspected the attendant knew her name.

"Erza Scarlet," she replied. "I'm also checking in for Jellal Fernandez."

"O- oh! Okay," the attendant replied, now even more flustered. "Manager?"

A man barely older than Jellal came over to help the attendant out. "Scarlet and Fernandez?" He looked down at the list. "It appears you requested a private tour through your resort, but you were bumped to a group tour."

"Yes, we were informed," Erza said.

"If it's a problem, you can use one of the rooms below deck to get away from the other passengers," the manager told her.

"I doubt we'll need it," Erza told him.

"Believe me," he insisted. "You'll need it. We get a lot of notable guests, and generally they don't realize how swarmed they'll be."

"We're hardly notable," Erza said. "I doubt we'll be recognized at all."

The manager wondered how she could possibly think that, what with Jellal's face plastered all over newspaper front pages and magazine covers for the last month. Erza herself had been very recognizable since her victory in Pandemonium and the subsequent Weekly Sorcerer photospreads were released. He'd never met a mage before, but he'd heard how bizarre they could be. Apparently one Erza Scarlet was no exception to that rule.

"Well, I'll give this to you anyways," the manager said, handing her a note. "Give it to a staff member and they'll show you a room to use."

Meanwhile, Jellal was standing outside looking out at the harbor, thinking about the last time he'd been here – hoping Erza wouldn't die.

"Jellal," A voice said. "What are you doing here?"

Jellal turned around to see Kagura and Milliana staring at him. "I'm on vacation."

"Vacation? Didn't you just get a new job?" Kagura asked him, suspicious of his reasoning. "Is there something going on here that I should know?"

"No," Jellal replied calmly. "Queen Hisui wanted us to 'enjoy our freedom' before we began our jobs. She knew I was unlikely to do so, so she booked a vacation for me that I couldn't refuse."

"You wouldn't even go see Erza?" Milliana asked him, equally as suspicious as Kagura.

"No," he answered. "Hence why she sent Erza on this vacation with me."

"You know you could just solve this problem if you would let yourself date Erza," Kagura scolded him once more. "I've told you before – I didn't save you to turn her down. You're only punishing her by doing this, Jellal."

"I know," he sighed sadly. "I'm sorry."

"You have enough to feel sorry about, Jellal," Milliana reminded him. "And this one is the easiest fix of all. Anyways, we should be going."

"Yes, we should. But I would still like to see Erza," Kagura said. "We'll meet you here tomorrow at 10am."

Jellal nodded, not entirely sure if they could even make that.

"Good. We'll see you then."

Only a short while later Erza returned and they headed onto the boat where they were fitted with fins and snorkels. Erza made sure that they got a picture taken at the bow of the boat to hang on her wall. Ever since they started dating, she became determined to create good memories for Jellal, and this vacation was one of them.

On the boat Jellal noticed Erza catching glimpses at the children having fun with their parents. At first he thought it was because she was jealous of them for having a much more enjoyable childhood, but soon he realized the tender, motherly smile on her face. He found her obsession with children to be rather adorable and wondered how he hadn't noticed sooner.

After the second snorkeling stop of the day, Jellal was surprised to feel someone elbow his side. "Jellal," Erza said. "Someone wants your autograph."

Jellal looked down to see two small children holding napkins. It appeared by the messy scrawl on them that Erza had already signed. "Of course." He signed each napkin, wondering why they would want his signature at all.

"Kids have been coming up to me quite a bit for signatures," Erza said. "I'm rather surprised."

"But you're Titania," Jellal reminded her. "Many people in Fiore look up to you."

"Yes, but it's never happened before. Not once," Erza told him.

He didn't want to suggest that she didn't usually look approachable in her armor and with the hard expression she usually wore. Today in her beach attire and sporting a peaceful expression on her face she was much less intimidating. "Maybe they didn't want to disturb you."

"Maybe," Erza said, looking off into the distance.

* * *

The next morning there was no way to get to Hargeon other than magic or a long run, so Erza chose to sit on Jellal's back as he used Meteor to get her there. Erza swore she saw a couple guests watch in awe before everything blurred around her.

At the edge of Hargeon they knew they needed to walk. Kagura hadn't specified a location to meet, so Jellal just went to where they had met the day before. Erza's communication lacrima rang and she picked it up. "You can't meet until dinner? Where? Okay. See you then."

"Something came up?"

Erza nodded. "Perhaps we can look for souvenirs? Something for your office? Or maybe something Wendy would like?"

"That sounds fine, but perhaps we should sit down for some food first?" Jellal asked.

"Okay," Erza replied. "Somewhere with cake."

After getting her cake and halfway through their afternoon of browsing various shops in Hargeon, Erza entered a toy store. Inside, she immediately went to the wall of stuffed animals. Jellal raised an eyebrow, wondering who Erza could be shopping for. They'd already bought a present for Wendy: a new purse. She was too old for stuffed animals anyways.

"What would Asuka want?"

Asuka, of course it was Asuka. Jellal had only met her a couple of times, and at none of those times did Erza show unusual interest, so this was a bit unusual – but perhaps Erza seeing the happy kids the day before had sparked some maternal instinct on her. It sure seemed that way. "I have no idea. Maybe a seal? They're common in Hargeon."

Erza moved over to the seal and sea lion stuffed animals and proceeded to feel each one, trying to figure out which ones were softest and lightest. Finally she declared one a winner and brought it to the cash register.

After such an innocent purchase (which had temporarily gone into Erza's requip space with the other things she'd bought that day – Jellal was not allowed to carry her bags), Erza pulled a slip of paper out of her requip space. It had an address on it – one that Erza blushed just looking at. She looked at the map and led him down a winding tour of streets.

He was shocked and embarrassed to wind up near an adult boutique. Erza's face was as red as his own.

"Mira said that I should take you here," Erza said. It wasn't entirely true that Mira advised it – Mira said it would be a good idea, but she said Erza may want to wait until they'd been together longer to know if he'd be okay with it. Erza, being Erza, decided to try it as soon as possible. "She said that I should let you pick things out for me."

Jellal's opened his mouth, trying to find words.

Erza looked at the ground, just as embarrassed.

Jellal closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "If you're not comfortable, it might be something to try in the future?" Frankly he had no interest in picking things of that sort out for her, but if she wanted him to do it, he would.

Erza nodded. "M- Maybe we should just go to where we're supposed to meet with Kagura?"

"No, just one second," Jellal said. To Erza's surprise he went inside the boutique.

Jellal had seen something he just couldn't pass up. Erza followed him in, watching curiously as he took something she couldn't see up to the counter. He quickly checked out and as soon as he grabbed it the bag disappeared. With how quickly he learned magic and with how much magic he knew, Erza knew she should've guessed that Jellal knew how to requip things – she didn't know that he could do it without going through a process of placing things in the requip space. She would have to ask him how to do that.

As soon as they were outside Jellal turned to her. "You'll find out. All in good time."

Erza stared at his hand, wondering what he could've bought. It wasn't clothing – he didn't know her sizes. It wasn't a sex toy – Jellal was too modest for that, but what if he wasn't… Erza knew he would keep her wondering, and something about that turned her on.

"Jellal?" Erza asked.

"Yes?"

"Should we tell Kagura?"

"If you'd like," Jellal told her. "I don't think Kagura would tell anyone."

"That's what I'm thinking," Erza said.

"Tell me what?" Kagura's voice said behind them.

Erza and Jellal turned around, looks of horror on their faces. "Is Milliana here?"

"No. She'll meet us at the restaurant. I believe she needed to stop somewhere first," Kagura told them.

Erza immediately went to go hug Kagura, who was now blushing. Kagura's only relief was that for whatever reason Erza wasn't wearing her armor. Jellal said a polite "Hello" as Erza's more enthused greeting went on. Kagura eventually managed to wriggle herself free from Erza's grip.

"What should you tell me?" Kagura asked them. They quickly pulled her into a dark abandoned alley.

Suddenly Erza was flustered – more flustered than Kagura imagined Erza could be. She always acted so strong, not like a shy little girl. Oddly enough, Jellal was also blushing. His face was turned away from Kagura's so he wouldn't have to make eye contact.

"W- well…" Erza paused, trying to get herself together. "Jel- I- We-"

"Erza and I are dating," Jellal said. "We have been since I was pardoned."

"Why didn't you tell me then?" Kagura asked, suddenly embarrassed herself that she had gotten on Jellal the day before.

"You know Fairy Tail," Jellal said. "And the magazines. We want to be able to date relatively normally."

"Without all of the trouble of idiots getting in the way," Kagura replied to tell them she understood.

"Exactly," Erza said. "So we're only telling people we trust."

"How many are there?"

"My guild," Jellal said. "But they tend to find those things out on their own with Erik's loose mouth. They won't tell anyone, though. None of them who would care to tell others."

"I believe at Fairy Tail only Mira knows," Erza said.

Kagura looked at them, realizing just how quiet they were keeping this. "Thank you for trusting me."

"Why wouldn't I trust you?" Erza asked her, grabbing her arm. "Aren't I your big sister?"

That only made Kagura blush more.

* * *

After a long night of catching up with Kagura and Milliana (mostly on Erza's part – Jellal felt very awkward and out of place most of the night), Jellal and Erza went back to the hotel. They spent the rest of the night on the couchbed watching the lacrimavision.

Now it was their last day, and with no activities planned they had chosen to spend the day in bed in between calls to room service. At one point in the day the couple went to spend time in the whirlpool bathtub.

As Erza snuggled into Jellal's arms he thought about the week. "Erza?"

"Yes?" She looked up at him.

"I – I was wondering," He said, nervous to ask his question. "This week – I noticed you're acting rather…" He couldn't finish his statement, worried Erza would be offended. Erza didn't seem the type to want to be called maternal. Honestly, as hot as he found her strength in battle, he never thought he'd find that side of her attractive.

"Yes?"

"W- well. Were you thinking of having children?"

Erza blushed and looked down at the water. "I- I…" She didn't know what to think of that. "Yes. But not so soon. I want to be married and living together first."

Jellal was relieved to hear that. He didn't want to have his children growing up without him.

"But, you should show me what was in that bag," Erza said. "If you want to practice for that time again today. Perhaps whatever you bought would come in handy?"

The bag appeared in his hand. He opened it up and handed it over to Erza. She opened it up and pulled out a vial of something. She turned it around in her hand, trying to figure out what it the deep pink liquid inside was and why he had found it at a sex shop.

"It's something Erik told me about. He didn't know where he found it, but he complained that it had fooled him when he just wanted to eat some poison," Jellal told her, regretting his purchase just as he had to explain it to her. "I- I know you don't like swallowing because of the taste, so…"

Erza stared at him, embarrassed that he had figured that out. He was right – the only part she hated was the taste – but she didn't want him to know that. She wanted him to think she enjoyed the whole thing.

"It makes bodily fluids taste like a certain flavor, in this case strawberry," Jellal explained.

Erza's eyes lit up. She hadn't known such a thing existed – but if she had, she would've gotten it a long time ago. "Can we try it out right now?"

Jellal smiled down at her, happy to oblige.

* * *

The next day as the train reached Magnolia, Jellal helped Erza grab her things not because she needed his help, but because he was desperate to do so.

"When do I get to see you again?" Erza asked him.

"I don't know," Jellal admitted. "When I have time to go on a mission, I'll call you and let you know. Then you can pick one out for us to complete."

"How soon are you available?"

"I don't know. Before I left it looked like this week would be busy, but after that…"

Erza grew a devious smile on her face. "If it's still there, I have the perfect one in mind."

Jellal watched her leave the platform with a much gentler smile on his face. Never did he think he would be this happy, and he had Erza to thank for it.

* * *

 _Omake_

Meredy and Sorano were the first to check out the mostly remodeled Crime Sorciere headquarters. Queen Hisui had told them that Jellal was still out of town, so they would be the first to begin living there. They looked at the rooms Jellal had picked out for them – both looked over the garden and had large closets and bathrooms added. They looked around to find that the men's rooms were much more spartan.

The main office in the headquarters had bookshelves full of reference materials. Large maps of Fiore and the surrounding land littered the walls. In the middle of the room sat a large table surrounded by chairs. Cabinets held writing supplies and other materials that may be necessary during meetings.

But the room that interested the girls the most was Jellal's own room. They were surprised to find that it wasn't locked – perhaps because the furniture had been moved in while Jellal was on his vacation. The room was the largest of all the bedrooms, probably because Jellal would be the only one living in his room regularly. Meredy suspected that he hadn't picked out his own furniture given its splendor.

Sorano went immediately to the bookshelves to see Jellal's massive collection of books. Most had been collected during his time on the council, and during his imprisonment and time on the run all of it had been kept at the Magic Council. Somehow he had gotten it back and now it was here.

"It's mostly just old books about kinds of magic I've never heard of," Sorano told Meredy.

"As expected," Meredy said. "He even has a whole shelf of his notebooks. Why would he need those? Didn't Midnight say Jellal can memorize pretty much any spell after reading it a couple times?"

"Well, he's getting older," Sorano replied. She was now looking through the rows of books about geopolitics and travel. "As evidenced by his incredibly boring taste in books. There's not a single novel."

"Not that we didn't always know he's boring," Meredy said.

"But what's this?" Sorano asked as she looked up at one of the encyclopedias in a long row hidden on the top shelf. "There's two number 12s."

Meredy grabbed a chair and brought it over to the shelves. She poked the spines of each book, evaluating them. Finally, she took one off the shelf. Meredy took the volume and put it on the bed. She opened the cover of the book to reveal a cavity among the "pages."

In the cavity was a collection of every issue of Sorcerer Weekly that featured Erza – before the Grand Magic Games they were mainly faceless interviews with a picture of her in armor here or there.

"I didn't realize she was so shy," Sorano said. "With how shameless she acts, one would think she would have posed for cheesecake spreads her whole life."

"There's plenty of that as well," Meredy said, throwing the post-Grand Magic Games issues at Sorano.

"I'm sure Jellal has no reason to have these. None at all," Sorano said sarcastically, slapping down an issue of the magazine that's cover featured Erza in black lingerie embracing a sword. Meredy laughed as she found a picture of Erza playing volleyball in a bikini.

"Oh, I'm sure," Meredy agreed, wiggling her eyebrows.

* * *

 **A/N:** I hope you enjoyed! Please R&R


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N:** I have ideas for Girl Talk, but I want to catch up on this first (also wait to see if Mashima draws and Jerza offspring because I'm trying to make this canon as possible).

There's lots of stuff in this chapter that isn't fluffy or funny but rather related to me exploring some headcanons about Jellal, so feel free to skip most of this.

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Fairy Tail

* * *

Jellal didn't arrive back at the Palace until late at night. He saw a few of the lights in his guild's new quarters on, so he assumed everyone was in their rooms. Jellal slinked into the kitchen to grab a quick glass of water before bed.

"Welcome back!" Meredy greeted him. She was at the kitchen counter reading a magazine. "Looks like you had a good vacation."

Jellal raised her eyebrow and turned around to her. Meredy slid the magazine over to him after opening the pages to a specific blurb. He blanched, seeing a paparazzi shot of Erza and him looking out at the boat they went snorkeling on. Jellal didn't even bother to read the article.

"Well, it didn't out you as a couple, so there's at least that?" Meredy said.

"Good night, Meredy," Jellal said, desperate not to engage with her.

"Good night Jellal," Meredy said. "But remember you have to be in your office at nine tomorrow for an interview."

Jellal groaned. He hadn't known that, but he wasn't excited. Interviews weren't exactly part of his routine, and he knew his fatigue would make his ability to pull it off worse.

* * *

When Erza returned to Fairy Tail, she didn't immediately go to the guild hall. Instead she spent what was left of her afternoon unpacking and relaxing more. It was almost a relief to not have to deal with the guild's madness.

The next morning she was itching to get back to the guildhall. She had missed out on a week of income, so she needed to take a job – with her team or without them. When she entered everyone was looking at her strangely.

"Erza! Welcome back," Mira greeted cheerfully.

Erza instinctively walked over to the bar to order her breakfast.

"I've already got your breakfast on the stove," Mira said. "But you might want to check this out."

Mira handed her the latest issue of Weekly Sorcerer and opened it to a very specific page. Erza blushed as she saw a picture of her and Jellal before the snorkeling trip. "W- what? How'd they get this?"

"Easily," Mira told her. "Jellal's a high profile mage – one who's very popular with the young women who read the magazine – of course they're trying to get pictures."

"B- but," Erza stuttered.

"You're pretty popular yourself, Erza," Mira remineded Erza. "You just never do anything interesting enough to put in there outside of a photoshoot. This was the first interesting thing in a while. Why don't you read it? You should probably give Kagura 'Thank You' call later so they didn't extrapolate more."

Erza grabbed the magazine from the counter and stared down at the magazine page. She read the small paragraph beneath the photo.

 _"_ _New Magic Advisor to the Queen, Jellal Fernandez, and Fairy Tail's Titania, Erza Scarlet, were spotted going snorkeling together in Hargeon. Although the two appeared friendly, there was no PDA. Witnesses reported Kagura Mikazuchi (Mermaid Heel) was infuriated that the two were not yet a couple and 'chewed out' Fernandez for not allowing himself to date Scarlet. Will these two ever get together? Only time will tell."_

Erza sighed in relief as she saw the article didn't out them. She grabbed her plate from Mira and walked over to the table at which Gray, Wendy and Carla were eating.

"Erza! How could you not tell us you were on vacation with Jellal?" Levy asked her. The blue-haired mage had slid onto a bench at the table as soon as she saw Erza heading over.

"Wait? You went on a vacation with Jellal?" Gray asked her. "I thought you were on a job."

"I was on a job," Erza replied indignantly.

"Then why were you snorkeling with Jellal?" Levy questioned her.

"B- because," Erza stammered. "The Queen hired me."

"The Queen hired you to go on vacation?" Gray asked, skeptical of Erza's story.

"W- well," Erza replied. "She wanted to send Jellal on a vacation, but she knew he wouldn't go unless there was a good reason to do so."

Gray snorted. "Of _course_ you're that good reason."

"Why doesn't he just get together with you already?" Levy sighed. "What an idiot."

Erza quietly turned to her breakfast, ignoring Levy's comment. She almost wanted to tell them the truth. Almost.

"What did you do on vacation?" Wendy asked her.

"Snorkeling," Erza replied. "But mostly I spent time out at the pool or the spa while he read. We went for a hike along the coast as well."

"Did you see Kagura at all? I know she saw Jellal," Wendy said.

"Yes," Erza replied, a twinkle in her eye. "We actually spent a day looking around Hargeon because Kagura and Milliana wanted to see me. It was very nice."

"It sounds nice," Wendy said.

"Yeah, you guys probably don't get much time to look around on jobs," Levy said. "I'm lucky enough that I can usually go to the library or a coffee shop for translation or research jobs, and that lends itself to some looking around. Sometime I even get into museums for free."

"We didn't do a whole lot of looking around," Erza said.

Cana came up behind her. "Oh, you didn't, did you?"

"Queen Hisui was having us stay at a resort far outside of town so that the paparazzi wouldn't ruin his vacation, so there wasn't much sightseeing to do," Erza told her.

Cana snorted. "That's probably because it's one of those resorts meant for fucking. If only he wasn't a wimp that would've been a great vacation."

Gray was surprised when Erza almost looked smug. There was no reason to be smug about not getting laid by the only guy she liked. He chocked it up to Erza being the normal, weird Erza. He wasn't sure he'd ever understand her.

"Come to think of it," Erza said. "I got you something, Wendy."

Wendy watched as a shopping bag appeared in Erza's hands. She slid it across the table towards the young dragon slayer.

"I thought you needed a new one now that you're a bit older," Erza told her.

Wendy pulled a very expensive purse out of the bag. She was really surprised to see the gift. Carla walked over and inspected the gift to ensure it wasn't a knock-off. "T- thank you, Erza!"

"It was no problem at all," Erza said, happy to be able to dote on her favorite young mage.

"D'ya get me anything?" Gray asked her.

"Of course not," Erza replied. "You can get anything you want yourself."

Gray wasn't surprised by that answer. She was Erza, after all.

* * *

Jellal woke up later than intended to knocking on the door. He rolled over and moved to get out of bed before Meredy opened the door. Apparently he forgot to lock it the night before.

"You know the guy's coming to see you in like an hour, right?" She asked him. Jellal found Sorano had come in behind Meredy and was proceeding to hang some very nice and clothing on his door.

"The Queen made us go shopping for you. Again," Sorano told him. "Apparently she doesn't trust you to look nice enough on your own."

"Speaking of which, we've been asked to do your hair for the photoshoot. It's always too messy to pass as professional, and now that you're not a teenager you have no excuse," Meredy told him. "Be dressed and downstairs in ten minutes so we can fix that."

Sorano looked at Jellal once more before they left the room. He rolled out of bed and pulled on the clothes that the girls had gotten for him. The pants were more tailored than he preferred, but he supposed that was what the nobles wore, and the Queen wanted him to look as noble as possible. He brushed his teeth in the bathroom before heading to what he expected would be an ordeal all around.

Jellal walked down to the kitchen, hoping to grab a snack, but Meredy and Sorano were already there, ready to ambush him. While Meredy plucked his eyebrows and did the best she could of shaving the stubble off his face Sorano was obsessively fiddling with his hair, trying to use a combination of hair gel and hairspray to tame it.

"Why all this?" He asked them. "Is this the reporter from Weekly Sorcerer or something? Will I be doing a cheesecake spread"

"Because," Meredy said.

"Because?" Jellal asked again.

"Because there will be pictures taken. Not a cheesecake spread – though I'm sure you'll get sexy pictures taken by them soon – but pictures. Nice looking pictures," Meredy replied.

"I'm skeptical," Jellal replied.

"Well, you know your issue of Weekly Sorcerer – the Most Eligible Bachelor Issue – isn't doing their photoshoots for another couple of months, and their Jellal photoshoot special was vetoed by the Queen herself," Meredy told him.

"Although it was projected to be a very high selling issue," Sorano told him. "I'm sure Erza will be devastated when she finds out she can't buy your sexy photos."

"I'm sure she will be," Jellal replied, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"When she can fuck the real thing, why'd she need any soft-core porn of him?" Erik snorted as he entered the room.

"He is out of town a lot," Meredy said. "They don't see each other enough."

"I'm sure the great Titania will find a way to get her way," Erik said. "Last I saw of her she was already planning their homestead."

Jellal didn't know whether to be happy about that or worry that his current position would stop Erza's planning from becoming reality.

"Stop your self-loathing," Erik hissed. "I thought that would end when you fucked Erza, but there you go again."

Jellal didn't know what to say to that. Really, there wasn't much you could say to Erik – he knew what you were about to say and would already have his obnoxiously negative comeback ready by the time your mouth opened. Thankfully for him, after Erik had grabbed his morning dose of rat poison the man left the room.

Soon enough Meredy was pushing him out of the kitchen and up to his office, waiting for the reporter to arrive. He sat nervously, wondering what would be asked of him and what he'd have to answer to. He didn't even know what kind of interview this would be – one for a tabloid or for some royal publication.

He was surprised to see a middle-aged man let into the room.

"Good morning, advisor Fernandez," the man greeted him. "I'm Nateel Lareon from the Fiore Times."

Jellal had been an almost obsessive reader of the paper – Fiore's most acclaimed publication – during his time on the council. He'd picked up a few issues since then, but being on the run was not conducive to reading papers, so he wasn't able to read as much as he'd have liked. Back in his days on the council he had done a profile with them, but he assumed this one would be much different.

"It is very nice to meet you," Jellal replied politely.

"I believe my photographer wants some pictures of you, but we'll do that as we go," Nateel told him.

Jellal gestured to one of the comfortable chairs across the desk from him and the man sat down. He kept his notepad on his lap, hidden from Jellal's view.

"Is this your new office then?"

"Yes," Jellal said. "As you can probably assume, I didn't decorate it."

"I wasn't assuming that," the reporter corrected him. "I seem to recall your office in ERA was similarly resplendent."

"It's all built by others to project an image. The actual Crime Sorciere office is much more along the lines of my taste: simple and full of reference materials. This office was built by the Queen for visits such as this, and the one in ERA was designed by Ultear to show that I fit in with the old boys on the council. That was, after all, a very political job," Jellal explained.

"Of course. Perhaps we can visit that office later," Nateel suggested.

"Right now I suspect it is occupied by a very grumpy Poison Dragon Slayer trying to drink his morning poison," Jellal told him. "So later would be best."

"You don't recall meeting me, do you?"

"Meeting you? I know I had a profile with your publication," Jellal told him. "But I cannot recall who it was with. Although I have regained most of my important memories from my time on the council, day-to-day things from that time are very foggy. I only remember the profile because I read it a few years ago."

"Why don't we start there, then," Nateel directed. "What made you want to do that? I've heard from other mages that you have difficulty with your past."

"After I was broken out of prison, I knew I had done some awful things, but I wasn't entirely sure what. My mind was a fog – I couldn't remember any details of my life other than my name and that of a good friend – so I desperately wanted to find out what my past was. As Ultear filled me in on some details more and more memories would come back, so I began to seek out more information," Jellal explained. "That was one of the things I found to read."

"Did it help?"

"Certainly," Jellal said. "It helped me remember what I was like – how I talked, how I was feeling, how I was thinking. You can't get that from a second-hand account as well."

"Were you surprised by it?"

"Not then, I assumed I had always been terrible," Jellal said. "Now I am surprised. I've found I'm much less smooth or convincing. My guild always teases me about how bad I can be at talking to people. They ask me how I managed to convince anyone of anything, let alone infiltrate the council."

"The Council says that you were that way because you were possessed," Nateel prompted him.

"Or because almost everyone on the council was evil at that point," Jellal replied. "I was shocked to find out that I was hardly the worst one on it at that time."

"I believe we were all rather surprised."

"The mages on the council now are very honorable, so I don't believe we'll be having another scandal. Part of my job will be to ensure that or to prepare the country if something does happen," Jellal replied. "So perhaps I'm being too optimistic."

"But back to you," Nateel said. "Were you possessed?"

"No. At the very least I was not a puppet," Jellal answered. "I had free will."

Nateel looked up from his pad of paper, surprised that Jellal would admit that.

"I suppose it would be best to start at the beginning then? How much do you know?" Jellal tried to act as confident as Siegrain would have, but he could never deliver the lines in the right tone.

"Well, we only know about things since Siegrain appeared," Nateel informed him. "Although we know you were a slave in the Tower of Heaven most of the people from that time are unwilling to talk about it or dead."

Jellal nodded solemnly. "I can't remember anything before that time – where I'm from, my family – I know they were probably dead when I was taken or died as slaves themselves. I never found out for sure, but they seemingly only captured people with magical power as slaves. The adults were of average strength – powerful ones could easily mutiny and free us. The children who came out of it were all exceptionally powerful mages, or above average, so I believe they sought to kidnap only powerful children from any family of mages."

"Did you know you were magically inclined at the time?"

"No – none of us did," Jellal said. "None of us were children of guild mages, so we were never trained to use any magic we had."

"So you were just a normal child? How did Siegrain come about?"

"Some of us children tried to start a rebellion so we could escape. It didn't work, and seeking someone to blame they took one of the children from our group and tortured her for information. When she didn't crack, they returned her and I said I led the effort so as to prevent any friends from harm," Jellal explained. "Unlike her, someone subjected me to psychological torture and spells that would open me to suggestion. I then let anyone who wanted to leave and kept building the tower on my own with anyone still loyal."

"Your actions were your own?"

"Yes, and that is the hardest part to forgive myself for. While they did manipulate me into believing what I did and doing what I did, at the end of the day it was still me saying and doing those things," Jellal said. "And that's hard to know – that ultimately everything was me. I could have stopped it."

"Even though they were using magic to manipulate you that you might now have been able to break?" Nateel asked, trying to dive deeper into what Jellal was saying.

"Those manipulating me certainly were prodigious with magic, but they knew what they were doing. While they weren't necessarily powerful enough they managed to break another more powerful mage before me and had her do to ground work for them," Jellal told him. "They also found ways to make me not question things – saying what I did was for my own good and giving me benefits."

"Like what?"

"Like I said, I didn't know I had magical potential at all," Jellal said. "So when they showed me not only that I was powerful but then provided me with a library of spells so large I felt like a kid in a candy shop I wasn't about to question it. When I began to learn all of these spells quickly, one after another, it was the most amazing thing I'd ever done especially after being a slave laborer and the torture. It was even more amazing when they realized my talent and began to teach me new spells that they were inventing. Even though I could have, that praise made me not want to fight the fog they'd placed over my mind or any of the crazy things they asked me to do."

"Do you think they knew how prodigious you were – that they could get you onto the magic council?"

"I'm sure they did, and they knew that if I failed, they had a back-up in the other mage they had under their spell," Jellal told him. "Ultimately, though, I think I worked out better than anticipated."

"That other mage was Ultear Milkovich I'm presuming?"

"Yes," Jellal replied. "She was also the one to break me out of jail later and the one that encouraged me to start Crime Sorciere."

"Could she have not started it herself? Did she have to continue manipulating you to form the guild?"

Jellal was slightly offended by the wording, but considered the question. "She could have, but like me the fact that she had agency despite the manipulation – and she had more agency than I did because she never knew anything other than their bad ideas and therefore could be trusted to follow them – made her unwilling to act. I believe that while my path to redemption started stopping dark guilds, she wanted hers to start by redeeming those she had brought to the path of evil: Meredy and I. Because of that I think she wanted me to have agency to start the guild."

"How much convincing did it take?"

"Quite a bit. I was incredibly guilty – I wanted to be in jail," Jellal said. "It took a while for me to go along with her little plan, but after she reminded me about my help in the Nirvana incident I knew that I should at least try it. After defeating our first dark guild, I committed to the idea of defeating dark guilds, but I still didn't see redemption in sight."

"Why not?"

"Ultimately I knew I had victims as well – those I forced to work in the Tower of Heaven under me, and others I caused bodily harm and psychological pain to. I wanted them to have the final judgement," Jellal explained. "So if they chose to forgive me, I wouldn't fight it, but I would also let them kill me if they saw fit. To some extent, I still feel that way, but now I want to live – I want to be the best I can to honor them."

"Have they forgiven you?"

"For the most part yes," Jellal said. "Although I don't know if I feel like I deserve their forgiveness. There are a couple that haven't forgiven me, but were generous enough to give me a second chance. I'm happy to consider them friends again. I still haven't reunited with another two of them because I haven't been able to find them."

"Is one of those friends Erza Scarlet of Fairy Tail?"

Jellal balked at the question, terrified of what he suspected the reporter was about to ask. While not trashy, certainly the Fiore Times would not shy away from any potential scoop. He trusted Erza when she said he was a bad liar, so he had to tell the truth. "Yes, she is a very good friend of mine."

"The Weekly Sorcerer says you aren't dating, but your friends all said that you should be. Is there a reason you aren't?" Nateel asked him, staring Jellal down.

Jellal swallowed, suddenly feeling more nervous than he did in battle. He hoped he could lie well enough to fool the reporter – if only for Erza's sake. Still, he couldn't completely lie. "They are aware that we do have a deep love and respect for each other," Jellal said.

"Exactly. Is there a reason you aren't together, then? Or are you two hiding it?"

Jellal's palms became sweaty as he worried that the veteran reporter was on to him. He tried to think of a strategy to use, but couldn't, so he told a truth that was no longer true. "The guilt. I would be more than happy to settle down with her, but I caused her far too much pain. I don't feel I'll ever deserve her."

"So are you saying that you'll never be together with her?"

"No," Jellal replied. "As you said, our friends are working on breaking me down to that point, and it is certainly working. The work hasn't paid off quite yet, but it will."

"Will it?"

"Yes," Jellal said. "I'm almost there psychologically. The pardon helped immensely. I won't feel like a burden to her because we are now able to walk in public with no disruption."

"There must be disruptions with how famous you both are," Nateel pointed out.

"I was surprised how little there was, considering how popular Erza is with Weekly Sorcerer readers," Jellal told him. "The fans she does run into are typically very respectful."

"I've heard that she is very intimidating in person."

"Possibly," Jellal replied. "I believe it's also the fact that she greatly limits herself in magazine appearances so few people knew what she looked like before the Grand Magic Games."

"Even now she's very elusive," Nateel pointed out. "I believe she was one of the few mages our paper has been interested in interviewing, but she's been too hard to contact."

"She works too much for anything regular."

"But back to you," Nateel said. "How did you feel when you heard about the pardon?"

"Disbelief. I didn't think it would ever happen. In some ways I was happy – I can now live a relatively normal life – but in other ways it disturbing. If I couldn't forgive myself I didn't know how the state could forgive me. After I was given this job as a sort of servitude to continue paying off my sins and to hopefully prevent further disaster, I accepted it more," Jellal said.

"How does it feel to be in such a powerful position just after a pardon? Aren't you nervous?"

"No," Jellal said. "I've never really been in control of my guild. While I told them how this building should be set up and did some of the work as far as books went, most everything else was given to me by Queen Hisui or bought by Meredy and Sorano. The members of my guild never listen to me, they simply agree with me when it's most important to do so. So it's not a change. The change is meeting with important people who have never worked with mages."

"Us non-mages do tend to have a stereotype," Nateel agreed.

"While I, like other mages, was not formally educated, I am competent. I would say the drinking stereotype about mages is true, but I was surprised to find that they drink just as much if not more. My guild doesn't tend to drink as much, so I'm getting used to social drinking," Jellal said. "Social manners and etiquette are hard enough sober, but I believe the Queen is getting me tutoring to help."

"Has it been hard to get them to accept you – a member of the perceived riff raff, a former criminal, and someone without a 'proper' education?" Nateel asked.

"So far it has been, but I haven't had a chance to do anything formal, so I can understand why they look down upon my education," Jellal replied. "But I intend to show them that I am just as competent as they are, if not more competent at matters of magic."

"Typically the government doesn't deal with magic. Why now?"

"Cynically, I'd like to say it's because the needed a place to put me where they could watch my actions," Jellal replied. "Realistically, I hope I'll be useful in helping to prevent future magical incidents involving a corrupt magic council that affect normal citizens of Fiore and Ishgar as a whole."

"But is that realistic?"

"The magical community in Ishgar – at least the community with the power to do real damage – is smaller than you think," Jellal said, trying to exude confidence. "I'd like to think my name goes far in it."

"But how about other continents?"

"I hope to spearhead an effort to create a worldwide magic council of sorts. With the defeat of Zeref I would hope that Alvarez will get on board," Jellal spoke, trying not to show that he was spitting out his wildest ideas. Bringing Zeref up reminded him of something else. "I would also like to re-open an international magical academy to improve magical education and innovation. Hopefully that will promote safer forms and safer use of magic."

"Well, that's enough of that," he said. Jellal was surprised with how quickly it had gone. "Since this is a profile, and you haven't had any time to begin thinking about policies, there's nothing more to ask about them right now other than your goals. So, we move on. I believe my photographer would like to take pictures of you in your headquarters to print with the article, so why don't you explain some of the rooms?"

The photographer (who Jellal had never noticed sitting in the corner) stood up to take a picture of Jellal at his desk.

"I believe I already know this office isn't to your taste, so perhaps we should see the rest of the building?"

Jellal nodded and led the man out of the artificial office to show him a more realistic view of his life.

* * *

 **A/N:** I hope you enjoyed despite the slow ending. The next chapter is already in the works and should be more entertaining and more fun to write.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N:** The first section of this was originally going to be on the last chapter, but I thought it would be better to move here. Since the last chapter was so lacking in fluff, this one has fluff incoming.

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Fairy Tail

* * *

Erza had arrived at the guildhall early – earlier than anyone but Mira. She had to catch the first train of the day out for a solo S-class job she was setting out on, but she wanted some homecooked breakfast first.

Erza sat at the bar as Mira set up shop for the day and ordered her breakfast. After taking her order Mira plopped an issue of the Fiore Times in front of her. She was shocked to see that Jellal was on the cover – so much so that she stuttered out his name.

"They did a profile of him. I picked up a copy thinking you might want to read it," Mira told her. "Unfortunately this is a respectable publication, so there's no sexy pictures of him for you to peruse."

Erza glared at Mira before looking at the paper. The first picture showed Jellal sitting at a lavish desk. A smaller picture below showed a more candid Jellal lost in his thoughts. Flipping to another page she saw a picture of Jellal taking an ancient book off of a shelf in what appeared to be a planning room. One final picture showed him sitting in a large chair chatting comfortably with Meredy and Richard.

The last picture was her favorite. She wanted to cut it out to keep.

"He looks really sexy in that suit, doesn't he?" Mira asked.

"Sexy?" Erza replied. She began to look back at the pictures. Looking at the perfect tailoring of the long coat and shirt she could see how that would be sexy. In fact, she was so focused on the pictures that she didn't catch the drop of drool until it lands on the paper.

Mira giggled, setting Erza's plate down. "Erik told me you liked to drool on him."

"W- what?!" Erza choked on her words.

"When he visited, he spilled everything to Kinana. She knew she couldn't tell anyone but me, so she told me some of the stuff Erik was saying," Mira replied.

"Like what?"

"Well, for one, Jellal was concerned that your tendency to drool on his chest when you slept would become a habit," Mira answered.

Erza blushed, but her expression remained focused. "What else?"

"Well, Kinana said she couldn't tell it as well as Erik, but she did say he laughed as he related Jellal's thoughts about you bleeding after you had sex for the first time," Mira replied.

"No! He wasn't in the room," Erza said.

"Apparently he was next door," Mira corrected her.

Erza looked down at the counter.

"Oh! And apparently Erik says Jellal is incredibly happy right now. Erik was apparently debating if he thinks angsty Jellal or happy Jellal is more annoying," Mira concluded.

"Of course he does," Erza sighed. "Speaking of men, how's Laxus?"

"And how do you know I'm sleeping with him?"

"I know you well enough to tell when you're sleeping with someone," Erza told her. "You act more horny in general."

"But how do you know it's Laxus?"

"He will 'mysteriously' disappear with you sometimes and come out of the experience looking completely drained," Erza replied. "Almost as if a succubus had her way with him."

"He likes it though," Mira smiled deviously. "Maybe you would as well?"

"No," Erza replied, pushing her half-empty plate towards Mira. "Anyways, I need to go." She stomped out of the guildhall and towards the train station, hoping the demon wasn't giving herself any ideas.

* * *

At the end of what had been a bloody and violent (if easier than anticipated) monster-killing mission, Erza walked through the streets of Crocus towards the Palace. She initially hadn't planned on this little diversion, but sometime during the week she had convinced herself that it was a good idea. She had no idea if it would work out, but she was never one for not trying.

Erza confidently approached the Palace guardhouse. She knocked on the window and waited for a guard to greet her. A gruff middle-aged man eventually came to the window. His breath smelled heavily of cigar smoke and his expression was hardened.

"Name?" His rough voice croaked.

"Erza Scarlet."

"You're not on the list," he replied, staring her down.

"I'm here to visit Crime Sorciere."

"Those guys?" He snorted. "Should've figured with you being a mage and all. But still, you can't be trusted since you're a mage."

Erza knew the upper classes didn't have a high opinion of mages, but she'd never met anyone who would state it outright. It only made her want to be more insistent. "Then ask them." She sent him a hard stare for emphasis.

The guard glared at her before grabbing a communication lacrima off of the counter. "Yeah. There's someone here for you. … You weren't expecting anyone? Figures. … She says she's," he looked over to her to ask her name again.

"Erza Scarlet."

"Erza Scarlet," he said into the lacrima. "You'll take her? Fine. Good." He hung up the phone. "I'm opening the gates. I'll have one of my men show you where you're going."

Erza dragged her cart through the gate and waited on the other side. A flustered young soldier scrambled out of the guardhouse.

"M- Miss Scarlet," the young guard greeted her. Erza could hear the other guards snickering behind him. "Please follow me."

She didn't say anything as she followed him along a winding path towards the back of the Palace. Among barracks, stables, and dining halls for the staff was a building that looked much older than the rest. It looked absolutely decrepit and much smaller in size than it would need to be to house Crime Sorciere.

The guard knocked at the door, suggesting to her that this was the right place. He quickly backed away after knocking, obviously afraid of what was inside.

The door opened to reveal Meredy standing in a room much larger than the outside of the building would suggest.

"Good afternoon, Erza! I wasn't expecting you to come here," she greeted cheerfully. She waved Erza inside. "Marcus, would you mind unloading Erza's luggage."

Erza turned around, wanting to unload her own luggage/emergency food supply, but was quickly knocked off balance by Meredy looping her arm into Erza's elbow.

"Why don't we go talk for a bit?" Meredy asked.

"Where's Jellal?" Erza figured that because Crime Sorciere knew about their relationship, there was no use in hiding why she'd come.

"Oh, he's in meetings until after dinner," Meredy answered. "But I figure you're hungry for some dinner yourself."

Erza found herself standing in a kitchen, so curious about the building that she hadn't noticed where they were going. She was about to ask Meredy when the girl opened her mouth again.

"We don't have any cake. I'm sure you could order some from the palace kitchen, but Sawyer's been on a health kick and is determined to drag the rest of us into it. Do you want any chicken for dinner?"

Erza moved to the fridge to look inside, trying to find any food she'd want. She sighed and closed the door. "Chicken would be fine. Do you need any help?"

"No! I'm okay," Meredy assured her. "I'm excited that I'm finally learning how to cook real food on a stove instead of dead prey over a campfire."

"Maybe you should ask Juvia or Mira to teach you," Erza replied. "I can cook when necessary, but their cooking is restaurant-quality."

Meredy giggled into her hand as she started the stove. "Maybe in a couple weeks. Right now we're all trying to figure out what we want to do with our lives now that we're free. I'm pretty comfortable here, but also have someone I want to visit more."

Erza stared at her. "You – you-"

"Yes, don't tell Jellal, but I believe I have a boyfriend," Meredy told her.

Erza knew why Meredy would request that: Jellal thought of Meredy as a daughter of sorts. He'd be furious to find out that his "daughter" was dating someone – even if he'd never admit it.

"Who is it?" Erza whispered, almost afraid to ask.

"Lyon Vastia," Meredy said.

"Lyon?!"

"We've run into each other a couple times, but always at a bad time, so I've made a point of asking him out," Meredy replied. "Actually, we went on a couple dates before the pardon, but nothing real. You know how Jellal is – he made sure we never settled down too long, and he made excuses to move more if he thought I was about to go on a date."

"Are you ever going to tell him?"

"No," Meredy said. "Maybe when I'm pregnant, but I hope by then he'll be distracted enough by his own children. It'll be easier that way."

"I suppose," Erza sighed. "What is everyone else doing?"

"Mostly brooding," Meredy joked. "But no, really we're all waiting. I think we all thought freedom would be fun, but somehow we all miss hunting down dark guilds. We're waiting for a new one to pop up and defeat."

"But shouldn't they have some alternative?" Erza asked.

"We're working on it," Meredy replied. "I think Sorano's flip-flopping like usual. She wants to go to Sabertooth to spend time with Yukino, but she also likes being in Crocus. I also know she's been wanting to work on magical vehicles, and Queen Hisui's offered to hook her up with craftspeople that make them, but who knows if she'll say yes."

"It would be helpful if she could make them more efficient. They tend to wipe me out, so I doubt they're very practical for most mages or humans," Erza lamented.

Meredy nodded. "I think Sawyer wants to work on that as well, but he's distracted."

"Distracted?"

"On his month off, he found out that Alvarez has a magical motorcycle racing league. He either wants to join it or expand the brand to Ishgar," Meredy replied. "We'll see where he gets with that – I think he's too stubborn to partner with anyone well."

"And Richard? Has he found Wally?"

"No. He's got some leads in Bosco, but I guess Wally and Sho haven't bought communication lacrimas. He's already gone back out to look for them again," Meredy replied.

"I would like to see them," Erza said, obviously disappointed.

"Yeah, I think Jellal wants to apologize to them as well," Meredy replied. "But we have to wait. Actually, I was waiting to ask you something – is Erik dating Kinana? He seems happier lately, but he refuses to tell any of us what happened."

"I don't know. Mira seems to think so, but there's nothing to say they are," Erza answered her question. "I know they have been visiting with each other, as much as Erik likes to deny it."

Meredy nodded. "He thinks he's so sneaky – like a snake. He really isn't."

"What's Macbeth doing? Jellal seemed oddly interested in him last we talked," Erza said.

"Oh! Yeah," Meredy said. "Jellal and him didn't really talk before the pardon, and they still don't talk much, but I think they have a common goal now that both have the resources to work on."

Erza tilted her head, curious.

"You know that Midnight likes to research lost and new ways to use magic, just like his father. With access to the magic library he's been starting to look more into that. Actually, he manipulated the exterior to make the building seem smaller – his first use of a spell he learned," Meredy explained. "Jellal is better at learning magic faster, and he's interested in the scholarly aspects of magic, so they've been discussing working together. When we were in Crime Sorciere he served to help us figure out magic we were unfamiliar with, so Queen Hisui's been asking him to work on some sort of quick reference into types of magic for non-mages to read. I think right now though he's working on creating a sealed chamber to test magic in. Eventually Jellal hopes he'll become a scholar to help lead some magic training academy or research institution."

"That would be useful," Erza replied. "Even I don't know every kind of magic, and having a room to test things out on would help prepare mages for battle."

"I don't get why they can't just use the pandemonium set up with fewer monsters, but I guess lost magic is just that dangerous," Meredy said. "But the truth is, hardly any of us have gotten started on what we want to do, so who knows if it'll work out in the end."

"I'm sure it will," Erza replied. "You've only been free for a couple of months. You have a lot of time and opportunities ahead of you."

Meredy nodded. "Yeah, we know."

* * *

After dinner and cake, Meredy had brought Erza up to Jellal's room. She marveled in the fine decorations, knowing Queen Hisui had picked them out for him.

His bathroom was equally as nice. She soaked herself in the large bathtub for a good hour and used the top-of-the-line hairdryer to dry off. She knew Jellal wouldn't appreciate the fine equipment, so she made sure to put it to good use.

While she could have easily requipped into her normal pajamas, Erza wanted to impress Jellal. Unfortunately, with this being a spur-of-the-moment detour, she hadn't brought any lingerie.

Because of that, she had to resort to a technique she'd only read about: wearing one of her boyfriend's shirts. She opened his drawers to find them without any button-ups. Even in his closet the carefully tailored suits (obviously picked out by Meredy and Sorano) didn't have a normal white dress shirt. Beginning to get frustrated, she looked back into the drawers and pulled out one of the T-shirts she knew he sometimes wore to bed. She slipped that on and snuggled up into bed with a book she'd been keeping in her requip space for such an occasion.

As time passed, Erza would glance over at the clock, wondering when Jellal would be back. Meredy had said it would be after dinner, but it was already a good two hours after dinner.

* * *

Jellal was exhausted. His day had been full of meetings, and not just meetings, but meetings that were entirely irrelevant to him. The dinner he'd been asked to attend dragged long past the scheduled hour. At that dinner he'd been introduced to various nobles and politicians who were all trying to get something out of him. While the food was good, it was not worth the trouble.

He thanked his lucky stars that Macbeth had taught him an easy cloaking spell so he could sneak out to his home without any "noble" sycophants following him. Jellal was so tired he barely took note of the suitcases piled in the entry hall. It barely registered as unusual with all the Crime Sorciere members working to personalize their rooms.

Upstairs, he noticed that his door was unlocked. He usually locked it out of fear that one of his guildmates would come in and annoy him. Despite being adults, he found they interfered: Meredy liked to redecorate, Sorano liked that his bed was fluffier than her own, Macbeth occasionally took books from his shelves, and Erik would often come in to express anger about something or another.

When he opened his door he was even more convinced this was some sick joke, for tucked into his bed was Erza. She was wearing one of his shirts and was now peering over the edge of a book at him as if she had been waiting for him. He didn't know why Macbeth would pull such a prank, but Jellal knew that Macbeth was the only one capable of it, unless…

Jellal walked over to his bed as Erza watched silently. He was surprised she hadn't stuttered out his name in that cute way she typically did – that was another reason to believe this was indeed a prank. He gently guided her book down to the bed and lay a kiss on her lips. The warmth suggested this was really Erza and not some hyper-realistic illusion.

"Erza?" He asked, pulling away. "What are you doing here?"

"I was on the way back from a job, and I wanted to see you," Erza told him. She put a bookmark into the book, closed it, and sent it back to her requip space in a flash of light. Erza wrapped her arms around his neck and slid her hands down to move his coat off his shoulders.

Jellal got the idea, and even if he was tired, he couldn't help but take advantage of one of the few nights he had with Erza. He could never predict the timing of the next night, so he was determined to use each one he got to the fullest. Erza helped him take his shirt off over his head and slipped his belt off. Jellal, not wanting to be fully undressed, pounced once she went to pull his pants off.

He pulled his shirt over Erza's head. Although he was ashamed to admit it, finding that Erza wasn't wearing a bra was an incredibly welcome discovery. To thank her, he kissed her deeply. Erza, still determined to take his pants off, reached her hands down the back of his pants to squeeze his butt.

She laughed has he tried not to yelp into her mouth. Jellal moved his head down to in between her breasts and tried not to laugh. He brought his mouth over to one of her breasts, hoping occupying his mouth would help quell the laughter, but Erza's rare laugh was contagious. Once again he buried his head into her chest and began to laugh with her.

Erza took advantage of his distraction to roll them over and tug his pants down. That immediately stopped Jellal's laughing fit.

"I see you're as adept at strategy in the bedroom as you are on the battlefield," Jellal mused.

"Am I?" Erza asked, genuinely surprised by his observation. That maneuver hadn't been strategy as much as it had reflected an opportunity she saw open – though that was also a skill she used in battle.

Jellal reached his face up to nuzzle her nose. "One should never underestimate the mighty Titania."

Erza smiled, now more determined than ever to get what she wanted. Usually she was trying to prove Jellal wrong, but now she was ready to prove him so, so right.

* * *

Erza, after a quick trip to freshen up in the bathroom, flopped right on top of a still naked Jellal and wrapped her arms around him. She sighed contentedly.

Jellal brought one of his arms to rest in her hair and began to stroke it. "I really needed that tonight. I thought you were an illusion Macbeth made to prank me, knowing I wanted to see you so badly."

Erza smiled and opened her eyes to look up at him. Jellal kissed the top of her head.

"Honestly I thought all I'd want to do when I saw it was really you was snuggle," Jellal said. "I'm exhausted from dealing with nobles."

"And yet you managed three rounds tonight," Erza pointed out.

"One for each marriage proposal I received tonight," Jellal told her.

"Marriage proposal?"

"Apparently if you are young and attractive enough – well, I can't even say those are requirements – rather, if you have the ear of the Queen and a high enough government position, you are seen as a top candidate for husband of any eligible woman," Jellal sighed. "Even if I reject a man offering his daughter one night, he'll be back the next."

"I would assume you don't lead them on," Erza suggested.

"No. I tell them I'm not interested in the least," Jellal replied.

"Maybe you need to be more firm, tell them 'no.'"

"I've tried putting it in simple terms, but they can never remember."

"You should ask Hisui," Erza offered. "Or put a fake ring on."

"If I'm putting a ring on, it will be a real one," Jellal told her. He didn't add that it would match a ring on her finger, afraid that she would reject such a big step before he was ready to take it.

"When do you think that will be?" Erza questioned.

"I don't know," Jellal sighed, not sure what Erza's question meant. "But I do know I'm rather content right now."

Erza nodded against his bare chest. "This was not at all what I was expecting. Even six months ago I would have said this would never happen, but I'm glad it did. I'm glad you said yes."

"I am too," Jellal admitted. "A year ago I never thought I'd say yes."

"You'll have plenty of chances to say 'yes' again. Maybe even tomorrow," Erza said suggestively. "But for tonight, I believe it would be best for both of us to get some sleep."

"Good night, Erza," Jellal said, kissing the top of her head.

"Good night, Jellal."

They lay there for a long time, listening to each others' breathing slow as they fell asleep, happy to be together once more.

* * *

 _Omake_

Meredy heard a soft groaning coming somewhere from inside the headquarters. She initially thought it was Jellal, but it was much too frustrated to be a man with the girl he was in love with. She suspected it was Erik.

She went down to the supply closet to grab a bottle of his favorite poison and brought it up to his room. Without knocking (she knew he wouldn't open the door on his own) she entered and set the bottle down as loudly as possible. Erik turned his face towards her and glared.

"What's wrong?" Meredy asked.

"Titania and Jellal have been going at it for two hours," Erik replied. "I thought he'd be too wiped for one round, but no…"

"Look, why don't we see if we can get someone to soundproof your room tomorrow. There has to be some rune mages in Crocus," Meredy suggested, wanting to return to bed with minimal whining for Erik. "You know what? I bet Jellal could figure out how to do it. Or maybe Midnight?"

"Jellal?" Erik questioned. "Jellal? I don't even want to look at him anymore. This is disgusting to listen to – especially his thoughts. Right now she's giving him-"

"No. Just because you have to hear it doesn't mean I have to," Meredy replied, turning towards the door.

"Then let me be," Erik hissed.

"Why don't you call Kinana and have yourself some phonesex? Maybe use Jellal's thoughts for some inspiration?"

"You _would_ do that with Lyon, wouldn't you?" Erik accused her. "Besides, both of them are so vanilla. The worst thing Jellal ever thinks is the occasional desire to slap her ass, which I'm sure every guy wants to do to their girl at some point."

"You're disgusting," Meredy told him. "Maybe I'll have to take drastic measures."

Erik stared in horror as a pink band appeared around his wrist.

Meredy had considered linking him with Erza or Jellal, but figured she should give them their privacy. Instead she went to her room. She grabbed the lotion with a scent she knew he hated more than anything and began to play the most girly pop music she could. Now she just had to figure out something to eat he hated. Sorano was truly a bad influence, but if it allowed Erza and Jellal to continue uninterrupted, she would have to follow her lead.

* * *

 **A/N:** Crime Sorciere is best guild.

I hope that was fluffy enough? Please R&R!


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N:** It was hard to find inspiration for this… I wanted to make more fluff, but at the same time that gets repetitive so I needed to move the plot along a bit… But there's also jerza dorkiness in here because they're still cute little nervous bundles around each other.

I love Erza's sister-brother relationship with Gray. If there's a sibling equivalent of an OTP that's it for me. I understand why people could think they're an item, but the idea is just so squicky to me with how she mentors him. On that note, this chapter has some Gruvia in it.

This takes place roughly two months after the last chapter, so roughly two months before FT Chapter 545.

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Fairy Tail

* * *

Cana, when she slinked into the guildhall, was greeted by an exceptionally odd site. The guild was lively as usual. That is, everyone was lively but Team Natsu. Erza was poking at her breakfast instead of eating it. Gray was sitting at the far end of the table brooding. Natsu laid his head on the table. Happy looked just as unhappy as Natsu.

She strode over to the bar hoping to get answers from Mira.

Mira instinctively placed a keg on the counter as Cana approached.

"The fuck's up with them today?" Cana pointed over at Team Natsu's table.

"Oh, I don't know," Mira said. "I know Natsu's annoyed that Lucy went out on her book tour. He wants to do a job with the whole team since they haven't done one in a while, but with Lucy missing he can't."

"Probably mad that he can't keep getting his ass into her bed every night," Cana speculated.

"That too," Mira agreed. "Happy's frustrated that Carla and Wendy went back to Lamia Scale for a couple days."

Cana snorted.

"I don't know what the deal is with Erza or Gray. Maybe you should talk to them?"

Cana could tell that Mira was getting annoyed, so she stalked off to find out more. Gray would be her first victim. She plopped down across from him and took a sip out of the keg.

"You don't seem to be very naked today," she observed. Gray looked up.

"I'm fine," Gray told her.

"No you're not," Cana said. "I don't know why. Maybe it's as easy as you needing a good lay?"

It was meant to be a joke, but it really got Gray. For whatever reason Gray stood up and stalked out of the guildhall looking miserable. A joke had turned into good information. Cana figured she could catch Juvia later. She had another subject of interest much closer than the water mage.

"So, Erza, the food not good or something?"

"I'm fine," Erza mimicked Gray's answer.

"No, something's up. Jellal lie about another fiancé or something?"

Erza blushed. "No, of course not. He knows not to do that again."

Cana smirked. "I'm sure you trained him well," she said in jest.

Erza looked up from her food to glare at Cana, but soon turned her head back to her plate. That made Cana think it was something to do with Jellal – and not something good. If it was something good Erza would be blushing profusely.

"Something's up though," Cana told Erza confidently. She looked at Erza one more time before walking back over to Mira.

"Did you figure it out?"

"Not Gray," Cana told her. "But Erza's is something with Jellal."

Mira raised an eyebrow, suddenly more curious. "With Jellal?" She turned to look at Kinana and Lisanna. "I'll take my morning break now." Mira walked from behind the counter over to Erza and practically manhandled the woman, dragging her to the storage room at the back of the guild. Cana followed, laughing with the guild as Erza tried to resist Mira.

In the storage room Mira set Erza down on her feet and stared at her with a curious smile. Well aware that Cana was also in the room, she knew she couldn't say too much for fear of giving away Erza's relationship.

"Erza, Cana told me there was a problem with Jellal? I was wondering myself – usually you eat your protein plate quickly after a long morning workout," Mira said.

Erza began to blush but looked up. "W- well… I guess he got picked as Weekly Sorcerer's Most Eligible Bachelor this year. It's a good opportunity, but-"

"But you're jealous," Mira finished for her.

Cana was surprised at Erza's body language, though she wasn't surprised that Erza was jealous. Although Jellal wasn't her man, he might as well be. Cana couldn't think of a single other girl Jellal had shown any interest in.

Erza stared at Mira's frankness.

"Why are you jealous? It's just some silly ranking," Mira said.

"But it now includes sexy, sexy photos of the winners," Cana corrected her. "I'm surprised you haven't been reading the latest issues of it. They're very popular."

"Maybe I have other ways to get off," Mira said pleasantly, even though it was an obvious dig at Cana.

"Speaking of which," Cana said as she wrapped an arm around Erza's shoulders. "This isn't too bad of a gig for either of you. He gets more good will with the public and you get some good material to flick the 'ol bean to: shirtless Jellal with his pants unbuttoned, Jellal on silk sheets, Jellal all sweaty after a workout… I bet he uses _your_ sexy photoshoots to get his rocks off."

"Maybe if he does it this year, he'll be so afraid to do it again that he'll propose to you," Mira added.

"Like Jellal'll put a ring on it," Cana scoffed. "If he hasn't already banged her – which he hasn't – it'll never happen within the year."

"Oh? Would you like me to open a betting pool on it?" Mira suggested.

"You're on," Cana said. "I'll do the honors of running it." Cana stalked out of the room.

"But really? Are you that jealous?" Mira asked her. "Maybe I could see if Jason could include you in the photos in some way. Sometimes they do like to have an anonymous girl tangled up with the guy to show he's hot."

"I'd hardly be anonymous enough for most of the girls reading the magazine," Erza replied. "And it would make people suspicious."

"Of course, but if you're jealous you have to go all out," Mira said.

"I wish I could. Apparently people at the Palace are trying to get him to marry their daughters," Erza said.

"Oh, that's normal," Mira waved off. "While I haven't met many, the creepiest fan letters I received during my years as a model were always from nobles."

Erza looked at the floor. "I almost outed us because I wanted to go to a ball with him to show he's taken."

"I would want to as well if I were in your situation," Mira said. "But you insist on keeping it to yourself. If you didn't, this wouldn't be an issue."

"I know," Erza replied. "I just-"

"I understand that as well," Mira assured her. "Just know you'll have to reveal it soon if you want to keep your sanity."

"Of course," Erza said. "Soon."

"I'll look forward to it."

* * *

That evening Erza was lying on her bed reading a romance novel. Somehow the images that Cana had conjured earlier had made her rather horny, and she was trying to get away with not calling Jellal. While she'd heard discussion about how sexy it was to talk dirty over communication lacrimas, she had no interest in doing so. A knock on her door caused her to shove the romance novel under her pillow and took away all interest in any masturbation for the night. She jumped out of bed and walked to the door to open it.

"We're letting ourselves in," Cana announced as she led Juvia into Erza's room. Levy followed after the two women.

"We noticed you weren't in the bath, but we figured you could help because you know Gray well," Levy replied. "Or at least help more than either of us."

"What's the issue?" Erza asked, sitting on a chair facing the couch Juvia sat on.

Juvia opened her mouth, but Levy was the one who chose to speak when Juvia began to bawl. "Well, Juvia and Gray have been dating, and last night when they went on a hot date Gray asked Juvia to come back to his place," Levy explained. "When he took off her shirt he immediately pushed her away."

Erza nodded and walked over to Juvia. Juvia squeaked as Erza lifted up her nightgown to look at Juvia's stomach. She dropped it once she saw what she had needed to.

"That scar – when did you get it?" Erza asked her.

"During the battle with Alvarez," Juvia replied.

"I know that," Erza said. "But _when_?"

"When Juvia was battling Invel with Gray-sama," Juvia answered. It was obvious she didn't want to say more.

Erza nodded, having heard about that incident from Gray shortly after the war ended. She liked to think that that little talk had finally given him the inspiration to date Juvia. He still acted like he hated her – probably to maintain his cool image – but he was at least willing to date her as long as the dates were as far from the guildhall as possible.

"You want me to talk to him, right?"

"Or tell Juvia how to make him get over it," Levy replied. "Make-up won't work."

"Because that's not going to survive sex or his hand running over it," Cana replied.

"Juvia doesn't want Wendy to heal the scar off," Juvia added.

Erza's communication lacrima began to ring in her bedroom, cutting into their moment. She walked over to grab it, knowing the ringtone in question was the one she had assigned specifically to Jellal. The other girls watched as she picked up the phone.

"Can I call you back?" Erza asked. "Yes. I have some visitors." Erza paused.

"We can leave if you want," Levy said.

Erza shook her head. "No, I'm fine," Erza replied both to the girls and her caller. "Unless you want to call Gray and tell him he's an idiot. Otherwise, I'll call you back within an hour." She held back from saying anything romantic and hung up.

Cana raised an eyebrow suggestively.

"Anyways," Erza said. "I can talk to him and tell him that he shouldn't feel guilty."

"And that he should just up and fuck her already," Cana said.

Erza gave Cana a wary look. "Jellal's still coming to terms with the scars he gave me, but at least he can look at them," Erza told Juvia.

"You mean he's seen you naked?" Cana teased. "Maybe you are sleeping together?"

"No," Erza replied. She was surprised she didn't waver or blush as she lied. "He can look at me now without any guilt for what he's done. The scars he's left me are on more than just my torso." For emphasis she showed Cana a long line on one of her shoulders. "I've had most of them healed for aesthetics' sake, but there are some that I won't ever remove, and some of those are from my fight with Jellal."

"Then how do I make Gray-sama willing to forgive himself for the scar?"

"Have him get used to looking at it," Erza said.

"Again, not helping your case," Cana said.

Erza showed Cana the scars around her eye – ones Jellal felt somewhat responsible for even if he had no role in causing them. "I suppose my scars are easier to see, but perhaps you could find a way to show them to Gray more? Missions that require swimming or wearing things that bare your midriff perhaps?"

"Juvia doesn't think that Gray-sama will allow that," Juvia said, looking down.

Levy patted Juvia on the back. "Don't worry, Erza will set him straight."

"If she doesn't manage it, then we'll beat him into submission for you," Cana joked. "Anyways, we'll get going. Go call your boyfriend back, Erza!" She winked at the girl as they walked away.

Erza walked back to her bedroom, communication lacrima in hand. She stared at it for a few seconds before calling Jellal back.

"Erza?" She thought it was adorable how surprised he sounded to hear her voice every time she called.

"I'm sorry I was unable to talk earlier," Erza said. "Apparently Gray is causing Juvia some problems."

Jellal sighed, wondering how this was different than any other time Gray rejected Juvia. He didn't know either one well, but knew well enough that Gray wasn't exactly receptive to her. "How so?"

"Apparently they were about to have sex last night, but Gray's mood was ruined when Juvia removed her shirt," Erza replied. "She has a scar on her stomach from a battle they fought together."

"That would be a problem," Jellal said. "I could see how he would feel uncomfortable seeing that. I hope he'll learn to live with it as I have."

"How did you?" Erza asked quietly.

"How did I what?" Jellal asked.

"Accept my scars," Erza almost whispered into the phone.

Jellal paused, surprised she'd ask such a deep question. He found that she usually saved those questions for quiet, intimate moments between the two – as if to ensure she wouldn't be able to leave him.

Erza waited for Jellal to respond, not wanting to break his train of thought.

"I don't know," Jellal said. "Honestly, I don't. I think – I think it helps that you take ownership of them – that you're proud enough of them that you don't get them magically healed off your body. It also helps me put things into perspective."

"But do they bother you?"

Jellal was silent once more, afraid to tell the truth, even if he knew he had to do so. "At times, of course they do. I can't look at them without thinking about the mistakes I've made in the past, but I know that's the past."

Erza sat silent, wondering how to respond. In her own clumsiness, she transitioned to a topic regarding Jellal that was also on her mind. "D- do you look at my pictures in Weekly Sorcerer?"

She could hear Jellal sputter on the other end of the line.

"They edit the scars out," Erza told him.

"I thought for the longest time that you had gotten them healed," Jellal admitted. "Until-"

Erza blushed, knowing what he meant. "Y- you mean – you looked at my pictures before-" Her blush got darker at the thought. "D- did you?"

Jellal swallowed loudly. "Would you be mad if I did?"

"O- of course not!" Erza was almost excited, knowing he'd always wanted her, even when he hadn't allowed himself to have her. It was maddening as well, knowing how long he'd truly been holding himself back, but she could forgive him now that he wasn't. "Do you still have them?"

"Have what?"

"The issues with my photoshoots in them."

"Yes," Jellal said quietly.

"D- do you," Erza paused, wondering if she should really ask what she wanted to. "Use them?"

"Use them?" Jellal was confused.

Erza had no idea how to phrase her question in a way she felt comfortable with. "T- to, you know?"

"M- Mas…"

Jellal sputtered once again at her question before composing himself. "W- would it be a problem if I did?"

"N- no! Not at all," Erza replied. "A- actually, I was wondering if you were going to do the photoshoot they called you for."

"With all I've looked at your photos, I suppose I owe you. Would you like me to?" Jellal asked.

"I- if you'd like," Erza said. "But-"

"You don't have to be jealous," Jellal replied. "Because I'll only do it if you want me to. Otherwise I wouldn't bother, no matter how much good will it would get me."

"C- can I?" Erza blushed at the thought. "Cana and Mira told me…"

Jellal made even more incomprehensible noises. Erza waited for him to compose himself. "If you choose to do so," he finally said weakly. "It's only fair."

"I- if you don't want me to…" Erza paused, wondering if she should continue.

"I should visit more?" Jellal finished. "You know I want to. I'm working on it."

"I know," Erza sighed. "Someday…"

"Someday," He agreed. "But for now I need to sleep. I'm supposed to be up early tomorrow, and I figure if I'm going to get visiting privileges I'll need to show I'm a good worker."

"Good night," Erza told him, almost ready for bed herself.

"Good night, Erza."

* * *

The next morning Erza went straight to the request board in the guild. She scoured the board, hoping to find something suited to her needs.

"What kind of job are you looking for?" Mira asked as she approached. "I thought you were a shoo-in for this one." Mira pointed to the flyer for an S-Class mission that involved hunting and killing a monster of some sort.

"I'll deal with that later," Erza said, looking harder. "I need a non-S-Class mission that could turn romantic."

"Oh, for youself? I thought you said-" Mira held back, hearing the guild doors open. If she exposed Erza's, Mira knew she would be in major trouble.

"No, no. It's the same as always," Erza said. Mira knew that to mean Jellal was too busy, but to an eavesdropper it would mean they still weren't dating. "It's for someone else. Someone that will be in trouble if he doesn't take it."

Mira looked at the board, getting Erza's drift. "Well, this one may be too easy for the tastes of whoever it is, but it would be somewhat romantic."

Erza looked at the flyer. It was a very, very basic spying job – something about watching a certain patron Akane resort suspected of cheating at the casino. Far too easy for her target, but she wouldn't let him refuse on those grounds. "Perfect. It's perfect."

Erza ripped the flyer off the board and walked over to her team's table. Her target finally entered the building as she was finishing her breakfast. He plopped down across the table from her and yelled his order over to Mira.

Erza slid the flyer over the table. "You're taking this job, and you're taking it with Juvia."

"No I'm not," Gray contested. "I want something more interesting."

"Gray, you've given Juvia her answer," Erza said. "Now give her a chance to have a normal relationship with you."

"Still no," Gray said. "I want something harder."

"You don't want a free vacation with your girlfriend?" Erza asked.

"Maybe you should take it with Jellal. Convince him to finally date you," Gray replied.

"I believe Jellal and I will be just fine without it," Erza replied. "He has the kingdom to care about right now, so he doesn't have time for such jobs anyways." She knew she would've hated if Mira had used these tactics on her, but she also knew it would be necessary for Gray.

Gray looked at the table.

"All you have to do is do this with her," Erza said. "You don't have to do anything else."

"But Juvia…" He whispered.

"You'll have to get used to it," Erza said. "She's your girlfriend." Erza slid the flyer closer to him.

"Fine," Gray sighed. "I'll take it."

"Good," Erza said, smiling.

Erza watched as Gray brought the flyer over to Juvia as she arrived at the guild. Juvia started crying with happiness while Gray avoided all eye contact. She smiled at her friends' happiness, wondering when she and Jellal would take such a "job." Hopefully sooner rather than later.

* * *

 **A/N:** I hope you enjoyed! I felt I needed to get something out there…


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N:** I, as usual, have no idea what I just wrote.

The first two parts of this chapter was originally meant to be an omake but then ended up growing into something more because my brain got too many ideas in it.

The first part takes place about 2 weeks post-chapter 8. The second part takes place two weeks after that. The last part jumps to around the time of FT 545.

For more non-Jerza context for this chapter, check out Girl Talk Chapter 11.

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Fairy Tail

* * *

Jellal walked through the streets of Crocus towards the offices of the Weekly Sorcerer dreading what he anticipated would happen. He had to constantly remind himself that he was only doing this because Erza wanted him to.

Before he could even open the front door of the offices an assistant had already opened it and shuffled him inside.

"Welcome, welcome!" A familiar voice called. It took a few minutes, but Jellal soon realized it was Mira's voice. That was not a good thing.

"Hello, Mira," Jellal greeted her coldly.

"Oh, I know you're nervous! Don't worry," Mira assured him. "You'll be just fine! I'll even transform myself into Erza if you need inspiration for a sexy face."

This was why Jellal feared Mira. As Laxus had told him at the Grand Magic Games, Mira was far less innocent and nice than she appeared. If she had an agenda, she would not abandon it. Jellal thought her agenda as far as he went was limited to him getting together with Erza, and Erza had assured him that she knew about their relationship. He had hoped that meant she wouldn't be pulling any more strings. But then again…

"Why are you here? I thought you were done with the magazine business?" Jellal asked.

"Oh, well, they wanted someone to help the guys pose since they tend to be pretty bad at it. Of course I volunteered once I heard you were participating – I couldn't leave Erza with bad pictures to look at," Mira responded.

So that was what this was about: making sure he would please Erza with his looks. Mira wouldn't let him fail no matter how bad he was at this – and he knew he was bad. Mira would make him stay days until he got it right, if that was what she wanted.

"Maybe if you're good enough I'll help Erza do a boudoir shoot before your wedding," Mira smiled. He knew it was a threat – not an offer. He would have to do well.

Mira led him to a changing room in the back of the studio and immediately called another woman in. They left the room to sort through a rack of clothing. He could hear them arguing about what would look best on him. Suddenly Mira returned to the doorway.

"Either way you have to put this on first," Mira said, handing him a pair of jeans. "We're doing a stripped-down cover, if you will."

"No shirt?" Jellal asked her.

"Who do you think this magazine is for?" Mira asked sweetly. He knew it was another warning: if he asked any more dumb questions she wouldn't be happy.

Jellal closed the door so he could pull the jeans on. When he walked out of the room Mira forced him to take his shirt and jacket off "for a better look."

"Hmm…" Mira tapped her chin, trying to decide how to proceed. She pulled the other woman over to look. As they poked and prodded the two whispered to each other. Finally Mira turned back to Jellal. "Here, put these on!" She handed him a tighter pair of jeans.

Once Jellal had the jeans on a team of more women pounced. They carefully applied make-up to his face and styled his hair, all the while discussing what would look best. He was exhausted just listening to them.

"Oh! You're done," Mira said. "Just in time! The other guys were getting impatient."

He followed Mira out to a large photo studio where nine other men sat on a fake set of stairs. Some – Gray and Rogue included – looked absolutely miserable, while others – Sting – looked really enthusiastic about it.

"Mr. Fernandez, you're on the top of the stairs," a voice directed him.

The other men moved out of the way, some greeting him, as he trudged up the staircase and plopped himself on the top step. Various women barked directions, getting them to sit just so, and then the lights began to flash. When they were done, most of the other guys began to hop off the staircase with gusto – excited to be done.

"Everyone – just solo shots left. Mr. Fernandez, go next door," another person directed him.

Mira showed him off to a smaller photo studio in the next room. He was annoyed to find a bed waiting for him.

"I thought we agreed that due to my job title, we needed to keep this classy," Jellal said.

"This is classy," Mira insisted. "Don't worry. Just get in the bed." He began to feel demonic energy rolling off of her and quickly complied.

While he was fairly certain he could beat her, he reminded himself that this was what Erza wanted him to do. Jellal slipped under the top sheet and Mira immediately pounced. She pooled the top sheet around his waist, hiding the jeans he was wearing.

He tried to push her away as she began to ruffle her hand through his hair – and then she transformed herself into Erza. Not just Erza, but Erza wearing a very revealing outfit. He gulped, looking around to make sure they were alone.

"Good boy," Erza's voice said. While it was Erza's voice, he knew it was Mira talking – Erza would never speak to him that way. Still, he was so mesmerized by her illusion that he let Mira set a pose for him. She licked her lips right before she transformed into Mira. "Perfect. Marie! We're ready! Don't you dare move, Jellal."

The photographer came in and took a couple pictures. "You're a genius, Mira," she praised the demon. "No wonder you were a top model for us for so long."

"You know what, now that I think about it," Mira said, grabbing a spray bottle and a towel off a make-up table. "Get out of bed, Jellal."

He cautiously stood up, not expecting Mira to begin spraying him with the water bottle. His hair felt almost soaked when she was done with him. Hoping it would go as quickly as the last shot Jellal allowed Mira to pose him once more. This time, however, the photographer got in on the action. It took nearly 20 minutes for them to find a perfect pose. Once again he wondered why he agreed to do this.

In his dressing room he was given something to wear that was more to his tastes: a suit similar to one he wore every day. That made him more relaxed. He sat at the small table they left for him and stared at the lunch they'd left him. Jellal stared at his lacrima, wondering if he should call Erza, but suddenly the door opened and closed.

"So, Jellal," the feminine voice announced herself. It was Mira. She sat across the table from him with her own lunch. "When are you going to get a ring? Would you like to help me pick one out?"

"W- what?!" He exclaimed.

"A ring. For Erza," Mira reitterated.

"What makes you think I intend to propose?" Jellal asked her.

"Was there every any other option?"

Jellal stared at her, knowing she was right. "I already have one."

Mira's eyes lit up in excitement. "When are you planning to propose? Hopefully soon!"

"I don't know – when my situation at the Palace is more predictable," Jellal said. "But probably soon."

"Good," Mira squealed. "Great! I'm so happy for you. Ask me if you need any help with the proposal! Anyways, we need you in another ten minutes. I think the ladies are coming to fix up your hair and make-up soon."

Soon was sooner than Jellal expected – as soon as Mira had given him peace and quiet they entered his room. This time they slicked his hair back to hide its unruliness. He felt so much older – like one of the hotshot nobles rather than a mage. They ushered him out to a set that held a fake office complete with a desk. Jellal sat on the chair behind the desk instinctively, but Mira insisted he lean against the front of the desk.

"You can't sit behind the desk, that hides all the goods, as does this." Mira began to take his suit apart, unbuttoning the shirt and jacket. She undid the belt on his pants and the top button. "Much, much better." She pressed his butt back to the edge of the desk, making him brace himself with one of his hands, and put the other hand to grab his lapel. She stepped back to admire her work. "Perfect. Just perfect." She leaned to his ear. "Erza's really going to love this one." As she walked behind the camera she gave him a sly smile and took out her communication lacrima, presumably to call Erza herself.

That picture took five tries to get the pose, as it seemed everyone in the room had a different opinion on what looked right.

"Okay, one more photo left," Mira said. "But we're not going to do this until tonight. I left you a map of when and where to meet us in your dressing room. Don't be late!"

Later that night Jellal found himself heading out on a path through the big gardens in Crocus. The guard let him in and brought him next to a tranquil pond. He was relieved to see Mira wasn't there. An assistant handed him a loose pair of cotton pants to put on and showed him to a changing tent. He quickly put on the pants and left the tent. That was when he saw Mira standing at the top of a bridge over the pond with the photographer.

"Okay, now get into the pond," Mira instructed him.

"What?" Jellal asked. It was a warm night, but on no night did getting into a pond seem appealing.

"I know you know at least some fire magic, you can dry yourself off easily. Get in," Mira instructed, again sounding more demonic.

Jellal sighed and slowly walked into the water. He used small amounts of magic to heat up the water around him to make it more bearable.

"Now lay down," Mira said.

Jellal used magic to make the water more dense so that floating would be easier and lay down on top of the water. "What should I do now?"

"Just look up at the stars or close your eyes," Mira said. "Whatever works."

Looking at the stars he was suddenly more relaxed. He hardly noticed as the pictures were taken – Mira had to tell him to get out of the water.

"Do you want to see the pictures?" Mira asked him.

"No," Jellal told her. "I assume I'll see the best ones the next time I go to Erza's. If not then, then I'll see them whenever it is Meredy decides to tease me with the issue."

"Your loss," Mira replied. "This one's really good."

"Fine," Jellal said. He moved behind the camera to see the picture. He had to agree with Mira – this was a good picture. Now if only he had a similar one of Erza. He couldn't imagine how requip magic could be captured artistically.

"Oh! I forgot – when I told Erza about this she said I had to bring this for you. It gave me inspiration for this shot," Mira said. She handed him an envelope. "I took the picture myself!"

Jellal cautiously took the photo out of the envelope. In the picture Erza was walking down her long hallway full of armor in nothing but a black thong. As soon as he saw the picture he shoved it back into the envelope.

"Maybe you need to go home?" Mira asked, a sly smile on her face. "Or I 'accidentally' bought an extra train ticket to Magnolia if you'd like to use that?"

Jellal took the train ticket from her and ran to the changing tent, anxious to get to Erza. He swore he could hear Mira's evil giggling coming from outside. But, since he got to see Erza, it was all worth it.

* * *

Like on any other day, Erza sat at her team's table eating breakfast. She almost jumped as a magazine was slapped down in front of her.

"It's here," Cana's said enthusiastically, drawing the interest from other guild members who gathered around.

Mira sat on Erza's other side, holding four long poster tubes.

As soon as Erza processed the picture on the cover she began to blush redder than any member of the guild had ever seen, for on the cover was Jellal wearing naught but a pair of tight jeans. He was sitting on top of a set of stairs populated by the other mages on the list.

"And it gets better!" Cana exclaimed as she thumbed through the pages to the page on Jellal.

A large picture faced a page that included a short blurb and interview about him – that picture got Erza's attention quite quickly. Jellal was posed on a desk, his suit's jacket and shirt entirely open. Upon closer inspection, the top button on his pants was removed and his belt undone. One hand was apparently moving to take his shirt and jacket off further while the other was braced on the desk.

"Having trouble not drooling?" Cana teased.

"Or maybe you need some water?" Mira asked.

The observing members of the guild, while amused, didn't dare laugh at Erza for fear of her temper.

Erza looked at the smaller pictures on the page: one had a fully shirtless and sweaty Jellal toweling off after exercise. He was sitting on the stairs from the magazine cover. The other picture showed Jellal sitting up in bed, a hand combing through his messy hair. His lack of a shirt and the pooled sheets gave him an illusion of nudity. Erza put a hand over her nose, hoping not to get a nosebleed like Jellal tended to when he saw her in a sexy pose.

"If that alone got her, wait until she sees this," Cana teased her guildmates as she flipped to the centerfold of the magazine.

Erza's eyes widened at the beauty of the shot. Jellal, wearing only a loose pair of cotton pants that clung to his legs. He was floating on his back in a pool of black water. Around him the water reflected the stars, creating the image of a night sky around him.

"They tried to reflect the mage's magic in at least one of their pictures," Mira told Erza. "I think his turned out the best – probably because the concept was my idea."

"Y- you helped?"

"Of course!" Mira smiled deviously.

Cana flipped back to the sexier pictures, startling Erza.

Without a word Erza got out of her seat and began to run to the doors.

"Wait! Are you going to take the poster size versions of the images?" Mira called after her, holding up the poster tubes. "Oh! And the extra pictures that didn't make the final cut?" Mira waved a folder at Erza.

To her guildmates' amusement, Erza ran back to snatch the items out of Mira's hands and then promptly ran out of the guild.

Cana began to snicker, and Erza's influence lifted. The guild was filled with laughter.

* * *

Before Lucy's party Erza was sitting at her vanity wearing naught but a robe. While the other girls were preparing together, Erza was awaiting a call from Jellal. He had sent her a message that morning to tell her he had something important to tell her, and she anxiously awaited the news. Even if it felt entirely impossible, she hoped it was a call to tell her he had been cleared to move to Magnolia.

She scrambled to pick up her communication lacrima the second it began to ring.

"Jellal!" Erza exclaimed.

"Erza," Jellal said, sounding much more solemn.

"What's wrong?" Erza asked, suddenly apprehensive about whatever the important news was.

"Queen Hisui has asked me to travel to do some business for her," Jellal told Erza.

"How long?" Erza asked carefully.

"Only a month. I believe a week of travel each way, but I'm spending two to three weeks there, depending on how everything goes."

"Where are you going? Bosco?"

"No," Jellal sighed. He hadn't wanted to tell Erza, even though she would insist on knowing. "Alvarez."

"Why?" Erza gasped. "Why that place?"

"I guess their magical leadership wants to improve relations," Jellal said. He could skirt around the truth of his exact mission for now. If it was a success he would tell her. "She fancies using me as a diplomat of sorts."

"Why not send an actual diplomat? I thought you weren't good at these sorts of things," Erza questioned him.

"Because Alvarez is a country run by mages. As this continent keeps the governing of countries separate from the continent's magic council, countries deal in only the mundane," Jellal reminded her. "But of course Alvarez doesn't listen to the mundane, at least not as seriously as mages. As the only mage I was the obvious choice." Jellal felt bad about lying to her, and what he said was true, but the main reason he was sent had more to do with his age being similar to Hisui's. That part would suggest to Erza that something else was going on.

"It will certainly be an interesting trip for you," Erza said. "I'm sure you'll be interested in learning more about their magic."

"Of course," Jellal said in a monotone. He couldn't tell Erza that that wasn't what he was there to do. Oh how he wanted to complain about his actual task when there was so much more that he wanted to learn. He hoped Erza would allow him to go back.

"I think I'll go on a job with my team, then," Erza told him. "There's one I've been eyeing for some time, but I wanted to wait until I thought everyone was strong enough."

"What kind of job?" Jellal asked her.

"A 100-year-quest," Erza replied.

"Which one?" Jellal said. On the council he had to know the 100-year-quests. There were only around ten at a time, so it wasn't incredibly difficult.

"Well, when you come back from Alvarez, why don't you call me every night," Erza said. "I'll tell you what happened that day and you can try to guess which one it is."

"What if you don't take the job?" Jellal asked.

"I will," Erza assured him. "Even split five ways, the money is more than enough of what I need for- for-" Erza suddenly stopped talking. She didn't want to reveal that she wanted the money to pay for a wedding and honeymoon before Jellal had proposed.

Jellal knew he shouldn't ask – it was probably for some armor or another, but if it was for what he thought it was for he didn't dare ask. "I suppose that would be a good hint if I knew what you were trying to buy. All of those quests are worth a substantial amount with the accrued interest, but some are more… astronomical… than others."

"Maybe that's what I was hoping," Erza told him, trying to cover up her slip.

"Lucy's party is tonight, isn't it?" Jellal realized, changing the topic. "Do you have to leave soon?"

"I have time," Erza said. She turned her communication lacrima to its video mode. That was a feature that only a few mages had – mostly Fairy Tail and its closest allies. Warren had only recently found a way to get that feature into the handheld version of his lacrimas, and the process was still not efficient enough to make it a mass market feature.

Jellal watched as Erza began to put on her make-up.

"I hate putting on make-up," Erza said as she tried to get her eyeliner perfect. "Usually I ask Lucy to do it for me, but the hosts got her a professional make-up person to get her ready, so she didn't have time to help."

"You look beautiful to me," Jellal assured her.

"This isn't for you," Erza grunted with effort as she tried to get the bottom eyeliner straight. "It's so I'll be dressed appropriately for the party."

"But that fact doesn't change my opinion," Jellal said.

"W- would you like me to wear make-up more?"

"You are free to do whatever you want," Jellal replied.

"But would you like to see me in make-up more?" Erza asked once more.

"You look much more yourself without it," Jellal admitted. "But that doesn't mean make-up looks awful on you."

"Good," Erza said. "Now I need to go get the dress."

"It's not in your requip space?" Jellal asked.

"No, of course not," Erza replied. "Why would it be?"

"I thought you kept a dress in it," Jellal answered.

"That's an old dress. This is a new one," Erza stated.

Jellal could hear fabric rustling and assumed she was getting changed out of his field of view – something expected with Erza – but he was surprised to see her laying a red dress on her bed. He watched hungrily as she dropped the robe she was wearing to reveal naught but a pair of skimpy panties. She blushed as she turned to look at the lacrima before quickly turning back to the dress. She picked it up and slipped it over her head. He tried not to look too hard as she secured the halter around her neck. She turned back to the lacrima – sitting in front of the mirror – to adjust her breasts. Jellal placed a hand over his nose to stop any embarrassing bleeding he anticipated.

"S- so is that the whole dress?" Jellal asked her, seeing the lack of fabric on the front.

"Isn't it cute?" Erza asked him. "I was hoping to debut it on a date with you, but we've both been too busy. I figured you'd still want to be the first to see it."

Jellal knew Erza was correct – in fact, he didn't just want to be the first to see it, he wished he was the only one to see it.

"Mira said that you would enjoy seeing me put it on as well," Erza said.

Jellal didn't know quite how to respond to that. He didn't even know how to feel about that – should he thank Mira or curse her for meddling in his relationship?

"I forgot my hair," Erza said. "I can't leave it down…"

"You should leave some of it down?" Jellal suggested uneasily.

"Maybe," Erza sighed. She began to requip in and out of various hair accessories – it was an easy way to style her hair, and a magical skill she was happy to have learned. Eventually she settled between two styles. "Which one looks better?"

Jellal had heard that he should never give an opinion – that could only cause trouble – so he was hesitant to do so. Still, Erza wasn't just any woman, and she would expect an answer. "The smaller bun?"

Erza requipped into that style. "This one?"

"Yes," Jellal replied.

"Good," Erza said. "I'll wear it like this, then. Anyways, I should get going. We are supposed to be leaving for the party soon."

"Have fun," Jellal replied. "I'll talk to you in a month."

"You're leaving tomorrow morning?!"

"Unfortunately," Jellal said.

"I love you," Erza blurted out. "Don't get hurt. Enjoy Alvarez."

"I love you too," Jellal replied. "Be careful on your mission."

"I will," Erza said softly. She made a kissing motion at the lacrima – a motion Jellal returned. She didn't know how to hang up, so she waited until he hung up to hide his own blush. Somehow, despite her ability to make it through years without him before, she dreaded not talking to him for a whole month – that seemed far too long.

* * *

 **A/N:** I hope you enjoyed! Please review~


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N:** This is based around Girl Talk Chapter 12, so you might want to read that for more context.

Considering that there's now a confirmed sequel, I guess this is going to be more canon-divergent than intended… (Now if only the sequel will have Jerza fluff…)

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Fairy Tail

* * *

When Erza felt her communication lacrima buzz next to her she had almost entirely forgot that she was waiting for a call from Jellal. She got up from the fire and told her teammates that she needed to go to the bathroom. Erza walked away into the woods until she trusted she was far enough that Natsu and Wendy wouldn't be able to hear.

"Jellal," Erza greeted softly. "Are you back?"

"Yes," Jellal replied. "It's nice to hear your voice again."

"You as well," Erza told him. "Did everything go well?"

"As well as expected," Jellal sighed. He found the prince trustworthy, if a wimp and a bit stupid. He would be a good complement to Hisui's natural leadership, but Jellal couldn't tell Erza that thought.

"Will you be going back?"

"No," Jellal told her. "They'll be coming here next."

"That's good," Erza said.

"How is your mission going?"

"A month of travelling," Erza said. "And three weeks of camping and hiking with no end in sight. I'll be very excited to have a good bath when we're done."

"So it's in a remote location?"

"Very remote," Erza confirmed. "One might say inaccessible to anyone who isn't a mage."

"I'm starting to think I know what job you're on," Jellal told her. "Well, at the very least I've narrowed it down."

"Are you going to guess?"

"Not until I know," Jellal answered.

"Anyways, I can't talk for too long tonight," Erza sighed. "I told them I'm in the bathroom."

"When should I call tomorrow?"

"After 10? Maybe closer to 11?" Erza suggested.

"Until tomorrow, then," Jellal replied. "I love you."

"I love you too."

* * *

One week later Erza sat next to the fire, waiting for the call.

As had become the routine every night, Erza picked up the lacrima the second it started ringing. "Jellal!" She exclaimed.

"Erza," he greeted her.

"Where are you tonight?" Jellal asked.

"Still below the tree line, but barely," Erza told him.

"So on a mountain," Jellal surmised. "That narrows it down to two options."

"But which is it?" Erza teased him.

"That is yet to be seen," Jellal responded. "And I'm not guessing until I know."

"Speaking of guessing," Erza said. "Dragon Slayer ears are better than I thought – they know I've been calling you."

"It's good we haven't been saying anything too incriminating then," Jellal replied.

Erza let out a small laugh. "I suppose."

"If I knew where you were, I'd send a thought projection to talk," Jellal said.

"Would you like me to tell you?"

"No, that would ruin the guessing game," Jellal replied. "Considering that the two options are rather far apart."

"How've you been doing? Are things still busy?"

"No," Jellal said. "I didn't sleep so I could catch up on work. But I am rather annoyed."

"Why?"

"Macbeth and I have been working on re-establishing a magic school in Fiore," Jellal replied. "As I've been busy, I thought he'd be working on it, but I guess he does not want to deal with the mess that is politics, so I'm scheduled to introduce the proposal tomorrow."

"Weren't you going to ask the Magic Council for help?"

"Jura supports us, but ultimately the Council itself doesn't want to get involved in case the situation gets messy," Jellal said. "Of course, as soon as it become a success I'm sure they'll want some role in it – maybe to help expand it to other countries in Ishgar."

"Will Jura help?"

"Yes – Lamia Scale as a whole is supporting the initiative, but Jura isn't able to come."

"Why are you nervous? You're a great speaker," Erza asked him.

"They still don't trust a former criminal," Jellal sighed. "And they, as many upper-class citizens of Fiore do, have a negative opinion of mages. I suspect some of them will only agree if I entertain their daughters' proposals, which is rather annoying."

Erza wanted to remind him that marrying her would help that little problem, but she was far too shy to do so.

"Anyways, depending on how long that party runs tomorrow night, I may not be able to call," Jellal said.

"Party?"

"Queen Hisui advised me that while a formal meeting should take place, once the nobles in question are heavily inebriated it will be easier to get my way on things. Therefore, I arranged for a party to occur after the meeting," Jellal replied.

"If it works, I suppose it's worth the trouble," Erza said.

"Yes, but it would be nice if Macbeth at least shows up, as he is the one most interested in this happening," Jellal replied. "If only to facilitate more of his research, but the point still stands."

"Have you thought about where it's going to be?" Erza asked.

"I don't know. Somewhere large and far away from everything," Jellal replied. "So as to avoid too much trouble."

"Well, hopefully you'll find something," Erza replied. "And good luck tomorrow."

* * *

Six weeks after Jellal's meeting, Team Natsu had finally completed the job. While Erza and Jellal tried to talk every night, it hadn't always worked, particularly when they had reached the mountain cave where the relic they were sent to retrieve was located. She was relieved to finally call him once more.

"Erza?" He greeted, more relieved that usual to hear her voice.

"Yes, I'm here," she replied.

"So you completed everything okay?"

"Not entirely okay, but yes, the job is complete," Erza answered. "It was actually much easier than anticipated. I believe it was a 100-year quest because of the demons guarding the cave, but with Zeref's defeat, most of them were long dead."

"Ah, I know what quest you're talking about now," Jellal replied. "It sounded interesting at the very least. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Erza replied. "As are Wendy, Lucy, and Gray. Natsu is currently being yelled at by Lucy."

"Isn't it normal for someone to scold him?"

"Yes," Erza confirmed. "But this time it appears the scolding is taking longer than usual."

"I wonder why?"

"It seems the offense took a long time as well. Something about how Natsu would try to jump into every crevasse in an attempt to find lava to eat. It's close enough to flame that it is still capable of fueling his magic," Erza replied. "There wasn't any lava outside of the initial crevasse, so it was futile and would require Gray using his magic to save him from the bottom. Happy was usually laughing too hard at Natsu's misfortune to care."

Jellal chucked. "But that sounds like he's learned his lesson. Was it something else as well?"

"He's crawling into her tent again, but I don't know why that would be a problem," Erza said. "He frequently crawls into her bed, and she allows it."

"I would also imagine his body is a good source of warmth."

"Lucy did say that as well," Erza replied. "Truly I don't know why the argument happened today."

"Anyways, I'll be busy the next few nights, but please call me when you're a week away from the nearest train station so I can meet you there," Jellal told her.

"Meet us?"

"Hisui wants a report, and while that can wait, I need a break from Crocus and the Palace, so I figured I meet with you under the guise of completing the report," Jellal told her.

"And I would like to see you as well," Erza replied. She didn't care if her team would have suspicions because Jellal was awful at lying. She wanted to see him, and she wasn't about to miss a chance to do so.

* * *

As soon as they had gotten their room at the Inn in the first village they reached, Erza had dragged Wendy into the bath. It was their first real bath in months, and Erza wouldn't let the opportunity wait. Meanwhile, Lucy and the boys had gone to get takeout for everyone to eat.

Earlier in the day Jellal had sent her a message to state that he had arrived. Although she had expected him to meet her at the next town down the mountain because it had a train station, she was just as happy to know that he was there at that moment. Never before had three months without Jellal felt so long, and never did she imagine it could feel that long.

Not wanting her team to know about their relationship, she had requested that he stay in his room until she went to him – meaning her teammates were asleep. As she sat and ate with her team she was getting increasingly impatient. Gray and Natsu were too tired to cause any damage, but they were still arguing about something or another. Lucy was already in bed, ready to sleep, but seemingly unable to. Wendy had hardly eaten anything before Erza had tucked her in for bed. Carla was passed out next to her. It took nearly two hours, but around 11:30 Erza was finally sure that everyone was asleep. She grabbed her room key, slipped out of bed, and left to walk down to Jellal's room.

Jellal opened the door after only one knock and ushered her into the room quickly. She sat on the single bed while he bent down to kiss her gently. Slowly the kiss turned passionate, but he broke it off to give her a proper greeting.

"I missed you, Erza," he said.

Erza kissed him insistently in reply. She requipped into the set of sexy pajamas she knew he liked best. He broke away again.

"Are you sure you have enough energy? I know I made the effort to come here, but sharing a bed is enough," Jellal told her. "Coming this way was my choice, and you shouldn't feel obligated to do anything."

"But I want this," Erza assured him.

Even if she wanted it, he knew she was too tired. He had to make some excuse to distract her. If she somehow stayed awake, it would be better to get something now than when he wanted to cuddle with her. "Before that, would you like me to get you anything?"

"Maybe hot chocolate? I saw some in the lobby! It would be great to drink during pillow talk – since it's winter," Erza told him, blushing with excitement.

He pulled the sheets back and tucked her in. He kissed her on the forehead. "I'll be back in a minute." Although he debated using a sleeping spell, he ultimately wanted to have sex with her, so if she was still awake he wouldn't resist. Otherwise it could wait for the next night.

He trudged down to the small lobby of the inn where he grabbed mugs to pour the hot chocolate into. A single tray was set next to the extra mugs and kettles holding the liquid. He grabbed it, knowing that he needed at least one hand to open the door. To balance the tray perfectly on his hand he used telekinesis. There was no way he would spill a drop of it for Erza. Unfortunately, there was no whipped cream or fresh cherries to make it Erza's ideal hot chocolate.

In the hallway on the way to his room, he was a small girl with long blue hair standing and sniffing at the air in front of his door. She was apparently too preoccupied to notice him, so he put his hand on her shoulder.

"Wendy? Were you looking for Erza?" He asked her, wondering if she was concerned about her friend. "Why don't you come inside?" He opened the door and let her through. While Wendy took in the room he set the tray down.

"Why are you here, Jellal?" She asked him.

Jellal had to think fast – he knew Erza would be mad if he told her the truth. "Queen Hisui asked me to discuss your quest with you. Apparently there was some dark magic they were concerned about – why it was a 100 year quest – and she wanted to confirm whether it was gone or not."

"She'd pay to send you out there to ask that?" Wendy asked. Jellal outwardly smiled, but worried that she'd seen through his small lie.

"You arrived some days later than Erza anticipated," he replied. "So I came here in case I needed to meet you in the mountains."

"Why'd Erza come to see you tonight? Isn't it late?"

Although he didn't know Wendy as well as Erza, he loved Wendy as if she was his own sister. He didn't love that she was becoming confident (and teenage) enough to question him. It caused problems when he was trying not to tell the girl things he felt were inappropriate for her. It caused more problems when he was trying to hide his relationship with Erza. It wasn't that they didn't want to tell her, it was that they wanted to introduce the concept to her gently. Now that he knew she had suspicions, he was even more uncomfortable – and with good reason.

"As usual, she was being very enthusiastic about completing her job. She wanted to give me a report tonight, but it appears she fell asleep. She wanted coffee so she could stay up and tell me everything, but all the lobby had was hot chocolate. It appears I was too late, anyways," Jellal replied. He knew the lie wasn't working by the skeptical expression on Wendy's face.

"Can I have one of the cups of hot chocolate then?" She asked. He obliged, eager to get it off his hands.

"You can stay here with us tonight, but Carla might be upset if she wakes up to find you missing," Jellal told her, hoping she would see the situation as more friendly than inappropriate with the request.

"It's okay – I'll go back to my room. I just wanted to make sure Erza was okay," she told him, a sweet smile on her face.

"Why don't we finish our hot chocolate and then I'll walk you back?"

"It's a small inn!"

"If you say so," Jellal said, disappointed that he couldn't protect her.

As they sipped their hot chocolate, they began to chat about the mission and how Wendy was feeling. He hoped Wendy wouldn't broach the subject, but just when Jellal thought he was safe – when the cup was empty – she finally did.

"A- are you and Erza dating?" Wendy asked him.

Jellal initially balked at the question, but eventually nodded, not willing to lie to her. "Yes, we are."

"Maybe you should tell everyone," Wendy replied. "I know it might be a bit overwhelming for the guild to know, but I'm willing to bet that the dragon slayers have their own suspicions.

"The smell? Erza told me she always showered," Jellal said quietly.

"It doesn't get all of it off. In close enough quarters, we can tell. I also smelled you in her room," Wendy informed him, blushing at the thought.

"O- oh," Jellal replied, embarrassed that she'd found out in that manner. "Are you?"

"I can keep it quiet, but at least tell Natsu, Gray, and Lucy, okay? I know Natsu's getting nosy about it," Wendy said. "I'm happy for you two – I know how much both of you wanted this."

"Thank you," Jellal replied.

Wendy stood up. "I'll see you tomorrow?"

"At the inn in the next town," Jellal told her.

"You're not travelling with us?"

"I want to talk to Erza about how to tell them before doing something so obvious," Jellal told her. "But we will tell them soon."

"Thank you," Wendy replied. "Good night."

"Good night, Wendy," Jellal replied tenderly. He closed the door behind her before walking over to the bed and getting under the covers with Erza. Just like for her, sleep came far too quickly.

* * *

Jellal and Erza were both up early. Jellal had already left for the next town over so that he could beat Team Natsu there. Erza was leaving to go back to the room Wendy and Lucy were staying in.

Team Natsu was lucky to catch a wagon to the next town, as a storm the night before had covered the road in snow. It would be a long ride of five hours, but much better than the extra day it would've taken them to trek through the snow. The wagon dropped them off at the edge of town, forcing them to walk to the inn. Just that had been exhausting. Erza wondered if Jellal would even make it. He could get far travelling by meteor, but she didn't know how well it worked over 15 miles. The road being downhill helped, but it would be difficult nonetheless.

With their late start and the winter season, the sun was already beginning to set when they arrived at the inn. They slumped into the lobby, hoping to quietly get rooms, only to find a perfectly put-together Jellal sitting calmly. He was obviously waiting for them.

"Hey! Jellal! Why're you here?" Natsu yelled. Lucy sighed but was ultimately too tired to do anything. She slinked off to the desk to deal with the innkeeper instead.

"I'm here to discuss your mission with you," Jellal replied.

"Can we at least get dinner first?" Natsu whined.

For once Gray seemed to agree. He slowly nodded.

"That would be possible. I'll wait while you settle in," Jellal told them. "The inn has a very nice dining room. Why don't you meet me there in half an hour?"

"That will work," Erza answered for her team. "We will meet you there."

Jellal nodded and walked off, presumably to go back to his own room. A couple minutes later Lucy came back with their room keys. As they had done the previous night, the girls took one room while the men took the other room. Although the inn had western style rooms, Erza took note that there were hot springs to bathe in. She knew immediately where she would be going after dinner.

In the room Erza was cycling through various combinations of the casual clothes she had put in her requip space. She didn't take many, but she had brought enough to change into something that wasn't armor. It took a long time to find something that fit her needs for the night: something warm, comfortable, and yet sexy.

Lucy and Wendy were both wearing sweaters, giving her an idea. She requipped into a thick pair of leggings on the bottom with a very thick and tight sweater dress on top. The hem of the dress barely hung below her butt. She brought them thinking they might be good to wear on cold nights, but she didn't think about how sexy it was until Jellal showed up. Neither Lucy or Wendy gave her a strange look, so she assumed they didn't suspect anything about her motives for wearing the outfit.

When they arrived at the dining room, they were not surprised to find that Jellal was already there. They were surprised that Natsu and Gray were missing in action. Wendy and Lucy offered to wait while Erza and Jellal went to get a table.

"I wonder why they're taking so long," Erza pondered. "I doubt they need to freshen up at all."

"Maybe they've fallen asleep," Jellal suggested.

"I doubt it," Erza replied. "Natsu has far too much energy."

"How was the ride over here?"

"Not bad. Natsu and Wendy were both nauseous this time, though neither threw up," Erza told him. "But it was better than walking would have been."

"Wendy didn't use her anti-nausea spell?"

"I guess there are limitations to it, so she prefers not to use it too much," Erza answered.

Loud noises outside the room made them turn their heads. Natsu and Gray were fighting over something petty, probably something about Gray stripping his jacket off and having it accidentally land on Natsu's head. Wendy and Lucy were somehow preventing it from turning destructive. The boys practically collapsed into chairs on opposite ends of the table while Lucy and Wendy sat down in a calmer manner.

A server nervously took their orders after a short time, causing a casual conversation to turn into one guided by Jellal. He took out a notebook that was already filled with notes from every day he had talked to Erza. He began to write the observations of her teammates on the fresh pages. When he would stop to grab a bite to eat he would send suggestive gazes in Erza's direction.

Erza noticed Jellal's mood, so she reached a hand under the table to brush over his lap. She tried not to blush as she realized how turned on he was. She immediately pulled her hand back to her own lap so as not to make his situation worse. Erza grabbed her glass of wine and began to sip at it to distract herself. She tried to focus her attention on his note-taking as she ate. He seemed to only be asking questions of the other team members, as he had already heard her opinion on most of the job. Anything else he could pick up later.

After dinner Jellal took the time to whisper his room number into Erza's ear. She didn't acknowledge his words, hoping the others hadn't noticed. They went their separate ways, knowing they'd meet back up again the very same night.

Meet up they did, right after their baths. Jellal was just closing his door when Erza pushed her way through. She closed the door behind him and began to kiss him with great fervor. He didn't question it – he allowed her to do whatever she wanted. Erza slowly slipped her hands under the collar of his robe, laying them on his bare chest and pushing him onto the bed. He allowed her to push him back to a laying position so she could sit on his hips.

"Erza? Are you sure?" Jellal asked.

"Why wouldn't I be?" She asked shyly, turning her head away.

"You must be tired," he replied. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her down to lay on top of him.

Erza didn't answer. She nuzzled her head into his chest, content to listen to his heart beat. Jellal hoped he tamed the beast that was Erza, but he was soon proven wrong as her hips began to rock against his own. As soon as a tiny moan left his lips she was up again, untying the belt holding his robe shut. Jellal looked up at her only to see she still had a blush on her face. He found it adorable how shy she could be even now that she wasn't a virgin – especially because she was the one that usually initiated things.

That gave him an idea. Jellal began to untie her robe, causing a surprised Erza to let down her guard just long enough for him to flip her over. He began to kiss her all over her neck and down between her breasts, feeling her melt into a puddle of pleasure and shyness beneath him. He knew it was one of his few chances to lead. Jellal felt guilty using every trick Ultear had taught him to turn Erza into puddy, but they were working so well (and he was still intoxicated enough) that he didn't want to stop. By the time he slipped inside her, she had already had two orgasms and was on the verge of another. He was grateful for that, as he knew after months of being away from her his stamina wasn't going to be the best.

That was how they found themselves lying naked in the hotel bed only ten minutes after Erza had snuck into his room. Although it wasn't too late, he was already tired from his days of travel. He knew that Erza tended to snuggle as close as possible at all times, so he was surprised to find that she hadn't rolled over to look at the clock with him.

"Jellal?"

He rolled back over to see her on her back staring up at the ceiling.

"Do you think you'll be able to move to Magnolia?"

"I'm still working on it," Jellal sighed. "But even if it's not approved, I can always use a thought projection."

"So I should look for a house then," Erza mumbled.

"I know I'll be there for the holidays, so I'll help you out then," Jellal told her.

Erza sat up, surprising Jellal. She stared at his face, trying to decide if he was lying or not, but then apparently deciding he had to be telling the truth. At that realization, she went in for the kill and stole his lips once more.

* * *

The next morning Jellal was horrified to see the clock reading past eight. Erza had told him that their train left at nine. He tried to kiss her awake, but apparently, she was finally tired. She finally woke up when he left the bed.

"Jellal?" She asked, looking frantically for the man brushing his teeth at the foot of the bed.

"We woke up late. Get cleaned up and dressed – you have to be at the train in half an hour," Jellal told her.

"What about you? Aren't you taking the same train?"

"I have to make a stop on the way to Crocus, so I'll be going on a slightly later train," Jellal explained.

"A stop?"

"Sting asked me to pick Sorano up from Sabertooth," Jellal replied. "Apparently Sting is annoyed that Sorano is taking her sister on too many missions. I suspect he wants to be the one going with her."

"He's the guild leader. He shouldn't expect to go on missions," Erza replied.

"Perhaps he wants to have her in his office more, then," Jellal replied. "Either way, it's a favor for him and a boon for me. Having Sorano in Crocus keeps the men of the guild in check."

"I would imagine," Erza smiled as she prepared to leave the room. Before opening the door she pulled him closer with one hand to give him a passionate kiss on the lips. "I'll see you for the holidays then?"

"Of course," Jellal assured her. He let her hand go as she walked out the door.

* * *

On the train the group sat together as usual.

"So, Erza, why were you so late this morning?" Gray asked, having an obvious educated guess in mind. Gray had thought Jellal might be working the night before, but with Erza not returning to her room that night and arriving late for the train, he knew something was up.

Erza just glared at him. Lucy and Wendy didn't dare speak up.

"Probably fucking Jellal this morning," Natsu joked.

"I- I did not _fuck_ Jellal this morning," Erza said, standing up.

Carla took Wendy's hand, trying to get the girl out of the train car. Wendy, paralyzed with embarrassment, refused to move.

"Then maybe you did it a few too many times last night," Natsu snickered.

Gray smirked, happy that Natsu was willing to take the risk he wouldn't.

Erza promptly stood up and walked out of the train car.

"So they did sleep together, right?" Gray asked.

"Yeah, she smelled like him with nothing to cover it up this time," Natsu said.

Wendy, despite her blush, managed to nod in agreement.

"W- wait? Really?" Lucy asked, obviously surprised. "I knew last night she said – but I didn't think –"

"That he'd actually do her?" Gray asked her. "Yeah, I was as surprised you, but according to Natsu here they've been hiding something for quite a while."

"Since the pardon," Wendy said softly.

"That long?" Lucy asked her.

Wendy nodded. She only told them what she'd smelled – not that Jellal had confirmed their relationship to her.

"Well, that explains Erza's mood since the pardon," Lucy said.

"Yeah, she was acting weird," Gray replied.

"But Erza always acts weird, so I didn't pay too much attention," Natsu added.

"Maybe we shouldn't share it with the guild quite yet," Lucy suggested. "If she's being this secretive, she obviously doesn't want anyone to know."

"Good idea," Gray replied. "But she'll have to let it out soon before Natsu will."

Natsu opened his mouth, but at that moment Erza returned to the train car looking positively murderous. She sat down on the bench across from the boys, glaring at them, and promptly fell asleep on Lucy's shoulder.

All breathed a sigh of relief. They looked at each other, reaching a silent understanding that the topic would never be discussed again – or at least until Erza herself brought it up.

* * *

 **A/N:** A bit of foreshadowing… (Though you already know how this ends up if you read Girl Talk)

Sorry that took so long! I'll try to get another chapter out soonish?


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N:** This happens after Girl Talk 13 and will be the first of two chapters based around Chapter 14 of that fic.

Things are about to get really sloppy all up in here, so… Be prepared.

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Fairy Tail

* * *

After the party at the guild, Jellal and Laxus had left for the latter's apartment.

"I hope you're not going to crash on my couch your entire stay," Laxus replied.

"Why would I need to?" Jellal asked.

"Fairy Hills being all girls and Erza not wanting to stay in a hotel when she could be at home," Laxus told him.

"Fairy Hills may be all girls, but it doesn't matter when the one enforcing it is the one helping you break it," Jellal told him.

"Now that the cat's out of the bag are you going to tell me how many times you two have broken that little rule?" Laxus asked.

"Not as much as you'd imagine. Erza usually comes to meet me to avoid guild members."

"Smart," Laxus replied. "I'm sure Gajeel wishes he thought of that himself."

"You thought of it?"

"No, but until recently I had a policy of only hooking up with girls when I was out. Now it can't be avoided, but since Mira's involved there isn't much teasing," Laxus told him. "No one wants to piss off Mira."

"I suppose," Jellal sighed.

"What are you planning with Erza, anyways? Rumor among the guildmasters has it that you're planning a move, maybe behind the Queen's back," Laxus told him.

"As long as no one tells Hisui about the thought projection, I should be fine," Jellal joked. "But in all seriousness, she's actually the one that proposed using the thought projection. She could care less if I moved, but her advisors are another story."

"So she's going to let you do it?"

"For the most part," Jellal told him. "We need to figure out the fine details before she gives her final approval. We both anticipate that there will be some amount of time each year when a thought projection will not be sufficient."

"Thank fuck," Laxus said. "I'll finally get another sane man in this town to talk to."

"How is there no one else? Don't you have the Thunder Legion?"

"They're great, but they kiss my ass too much to be honest with me. And the rest of Fairy Tail? Sane? Maybe Levy and Lucy, but none of the guys."

Jellal pondered that question for a bit and sighed. "I suppose not."

"So are you getting your own place or moving in with Erza?" Laxus asked him.

"We were planning on buying a house," Jellal answered. "I believe we're planning to start looking while I'm here."

"I know it's pretty soon, but have you started looking for a ring yet?" Laxus asked his friend.

Jellal pulled a small box out of his pocket and opened it to show his friend. "One step ahead of you."

"Don't pussy out now," Laxus teased.

"I'm nervous, but I don't think I can wait," Jellal replied.

"You know there's no way in hell she'd say no."

"I know," Jellal admitted. "But I can't help myself."

"If you don't propose by the time you leave for Crocus, I'll spill that you already have the ring," Laxus said.

"Then I suppose I must do it," Jellal smiled back at Laxus.

* * *

The next morning Jellal and Laxus came into the guild early, but not so early as to justify how empty it was. Inside Jellal could only see Mira setting up the bar and Erza sitting across from her. They were chatting comfortably.

He assumed that people were simply too tired from the night before, as Laxus didn't seem suspicious at all. Jellal walked over to Erza, who appeared embarrassed to see him. Thankfully, Laxus was there to provide a distraction. He had gone behind the bar to greet Mira. She ignored him as he grabbed her ass and tried to kiss her.

Much to Erza and Jellal's embarrassment, Mira grabbed Laxus and gave him a deep kiss before pushing him away. "If you need something, see Cana. I'm not putting out until after Christmas. There's far too much to do." The creep of her demonic magic emphasized her point, causing Laxus to retreat. "Although I suspect you have something to tell me, and I would appreciate it if you would tell me later."

"I'll be up in my office if you need me," he huffed before sulking off.

"So, Erza? Doesn't it feel more free to be open about things?" Mira asked her friend. "Maybe I'll get to see you two kiss some time."

Erza glared at Mira and then shyly kissed him, and it began very apparent why Mira had kissed Laxus like that.

"Oh? Only that? I was hoping to see something more passionate than my kiss… After all, I'm not dating Laxus," Mira pouted.

Jellal watched Erza as she tried not to be baited by Mira into something more.

"It's good to see you Erza," he said, trying to distract his girlfriend with a conversation. "I'm sorry I couldn't see you last night. I didn't want to bother you during the party."

"It would've been alright," Erza told him. "But I'm still happy to see you today."

"It's still a few days until Christmas. Would you like to go on a job? I've never been on a normal one?"

"Really?" Mira asked him.

"I suppose it does make sense," Erza replied. "And we could get some more money for the house. Is there anything well-paying but short, Mira?"

"I haven't been paying too much attention lately, so you should probably check for yourselves," Mira told him.

"I'll ask Nab when he arrives," Erza said. "In the meantime, can you get Jellal some breakfast?"

"Of course!" Mira said. She opened the door to the kitchen where Kinana had been working.

Only a few minutes later, members of the guild began to trickle in. When Team Natsu came in, Erza and Jellal moved their plates to the table the team liked to sit at. As the team began to come over with their own breakfast plates other mages gathered around to swarm the newly revealed couple.

"So, why didn't you tell us sooner?" Gray asked.

"About what?" Erza asked him.

"About you dating Jellal for a good nine months now," Gray replied.

"How did you find out? Juvia?" Erza focused her eyes right on the water mage.

"No," Jellal stopped her from standing by putting a hand on her shoulder. "The boys had a party of their own last night. They listened in on your party."

"Are you trying to get us killed Jellal?" Gray hissed at Jellal. The girls were all looking positively murderous.

Jellal read the atmosphere and decided to attempt to correct his mistake, even if he did think what they did was wrong. "To be fair, they didn't hear much. As usual, they destroyed the lacrima far too early in the conversation to hear much beyond the news of our relationship."

This did little to soften the expressions on the female faces.

"I know why she didn't tell us sooner," Cana said, slinking onto one of the benches with her morning keg of beer.

"Why?" Natsu asked.

"Look at this guild," Cana replied.

Lucy nodded. "It makes perfect sense."

"Complete sense," Levy said.

"But now that that the cat's out of the bag, you'll need to tell them of every major development," Bisca added. "Because as much as you think your engagement ring can hide in your requip space indefinitely, you'll want to wear it."

"Are you saying she has one now?" Lucy asked.

"No, but when she does have one," Bisca replied.

"So, at this rate, very eventually," Levy said. "They danced around dating for what – nine years? Well, only two if you discount Tenrou, but ultimately nine. Getting engaged will be at least nine more of dating."

"I wouldn't be so sure," Gray replied. "I think Erza's more likely to just elope with him to piss us off."

"No, she wants a big wedding," Natsu replied. "We all know that."

"I would prefer if we didn't discuss that until it becomes an issue," Erza replied, sounding positively murderous.

That shut them up.

"So, did you guys hear about what drunk Gray does to Juvia?" Cana asked, sparking another spirited discussion.

* * *

Christmas Eve began the same way it always did for Fairy Tail: doing community service around Magnolia. Jellal wanted to join in, but Laxus had convinced him to go out shopping instead. Apparently he had been late on his shopping, and needed to get something for Makarov before the party started.

The party itself was being hosted at the guildhall this year. After what Jellal assumed was too hard of a party the year before (too hard even for Erza – who he had found walking home naked), it appears the girls had wanted to avoid a repeat. Laxus explained that Mira didn't know Jellal was coming and felt she needed a way to ensure an aggressively drunk Erza wouldn't pull anything. At the guildhall there would be the same amount of drinking but less potential for Erza to try to rope everyone into some messed up game.

When he entered Erza had only just begun drinking. Someone handed him a beer that he began to sip. Laxus was drinking his own beer on the top floor. He had assured Jellal that if the man wanted to avoid all of the craziness of Fairy Tail parties he was welcome to join Laxus on the second floor.

The party started off normally enough, or what Jellal assumed was normal, with occasional fights broken up by Erza or Makarov. Members of the guild exchanged gifts with their friends and sang Christmas songs. Mira, Lisanna, and Kinana ran around to keep the alcohol flowing and food supply adequate. At around the fourth fight Jellal did move up to the balcony to join Laxus. They chatted as they watched the bustle of the guild occur below.

Erza was chatting with Bisca and Mira. Levy was talking with Lucy and Wendy. The men were in some sort of drinking competition that no one seemed to be winning. Soon they spotted the first mess.

"The fuck is Gray doing?" Laxus laughed.

Jellal scanned the hall until he saw Gray. The near-naked mage was openly groping Juvia, much to the later's distress. She was too drunk herself to put up much of a fight and was in fact beginning to strip herself. "It appears he's getting too affectionate with his girlfriend in public."

"I'm surprised no one's told them to get dressed," Laxus said.

"I think Erza is too distracted to notice," Jellal replied. Erza was now showing off a couple of new sexy outfits she got as presents from Mira and basking in the praise she was receiving.

"As are you," Laxus snorted.

As it neared midnight the youngest and oldest members of the guild began to leave.

Cana brought them both shots with a smirk on her face. "The night is still young and you two boys haven't had enough to drink. Down it!" she ordered.

"We'll be fine drinking beer," Laxus told her.

"I'm not leaving until I see you down 'em," she responded.

"Fine," Jellal said. Laxus looked surprised as Jellal knocked the shot back.

"And one more," Cana said, pulling two shots out of nowhere.

This time Laxus took the shot with Jellal.

"Now that you're starting to get all loose, come join us," Cana said. "You can't stay up here forever."

The two men grumbled but followed her down the stairs to mingle with their guild members. They spotted the first messy couple acting even more messy.

"Is that Gray dry humping Juvia against that pillar?" Jellal asked.

Laxus snorted.

"Yup," Cana replied. "Apparently he's decided it's a good idea to try having sex in the middle of the guildhall, but somehow they've kept just enough clothes on to prevent that."

"That's not what Gray's normally like when drunk," Laxus said.

"Maybe someone spiked his drink with something," Cana replied as she walked off, shaking a small vial of clear liquid for clear emphasis.

Jellal's eyes widened. He leaned up to Laxus's ear. "Shit. What if they spiked our drinks?"

"Why would they? Cana and Mira both know what I'm like," Laxus replied. "You, on the other hand, you should worry."

"I have reason to believe you were affected as well," Jellal replied.

Laxus snorted. "What makes you think that?"

"She didn't discriminate when handing us the shots – she didn't care who got which one, which suggests none were spiked or both were," Jellal explained.

"Shit," Laxus said.

"Anyways, I should probably find Erza and take her home before the potion kicks in to embarrass me," Jellal sighed. He walked over to where his girlfriend was standing with the other women. When he got close enough he brushed one hand over her back. As Erza turned her head to see who it was he kissed her on the lips.

"Jellal," Erza looked at him, a cute blush on her cheeks, probably from the alcohol. He brushed one had against her cheek in response.

"Erza," he said, savoring the sound of her name on his tongue.

Erza's blush grew brighter as Jellal wrapped an arm around her waist and kissed her again.

"Shrimp!" Gajeel's gruff voice interrupted their conversation. Jellal saw Levy bound over to him. "Ready to go?"

"Not really," Levy told him. "But it's probably for the best."

"Then let's get back," Gajeel said. He gathered her up in her arms and giggled his signature "Gihi" before practically running out of the guildhall with her. Jellal could feel a smirk on his face as he watched.

He stood by, rubbing Erza's back as she chatted with Lucy. He was so relaxed that he quickly lost track of time.

She reached up to kiss his ear shyly before whispering into it. "As much as I'd like to go home with you, can you wait a little longer?"

"I- is he?" Lucy asked, horrified.

Erza suddenly moved her head away from Jellal's ear.

"Maybe we should stop them?" Lucy mumbled.

Jellal looked over to where Erza and Lucy looked in horror. Gray was using his hands to keep Juvia sitting on a table. His head was well up her skirt and appeared to be right against her crotch.

Erza was already requipped and ready to rip Gray away from Juvia for the night when Jellal placed a hand on her shoulder. He used the hand wrapped around her waist to direct her to a bench. "I'll be back with you in a minute," he assured her.

This was the first time at the party that he felt like the only sane man. Laxus was at the bar with Makarov laughing in Gray's general direction. Mira had an evil smile on her face – as if she was also involved in Cana's plan. She didn't seem ready to stop anything any time soon.

"Gray?" Jellal asked as he approached the overly amorous couple.

Gray made an appearance from under Juvia's skirt, his expression grumpy until he noticed it was Jellal he was seeing. "Fuck."

"Perhaps you'd prefer to take that upstairs? Or to your apartment?"

"Nah, nothing's happening," Gray replied.

"Nothing?" Juvia wailed, obviously so drunk herself that her inhibitions were nonexistent. If they weren't, Jellal was fairly certain that Juvia would've already taken Gray away. Then again, he wasn't entirely certain that her drink wasn't spiked as well.

"Then what do you call eating Juvia out in the middle of the guildhall?" Erza growled.

Jellal knew he needed to calm her back down. He put his nose into her hair and began speaking softly. "It's okay Erza, I can handle this." He punctuated that assurance with a kiss on the top of her head.

"Fine!" Gray exclaimed, fairly exasperated by this point. He grabbed Juvia's hand and led her to one of the guest rooms.

"Ready to go?" Jellal asked Erza, deciding he didn't need any more of the guild's antics, especially in light of the growing influence of the aphrodisiac. He was sure the alcohol had been working for a while, but he was just now being overcome with lust.

"No," Erza replied, walking over to talk to Mira.

Jellal grabbed her by the waist and gave her a searing kiss. He was well aware that the previously buzzing guildhall went silent during the kiss – the first one he'd given Erza in front of them that wasn't chaste. When the wolf whistles started, he stopped the kiss. "Now?"

"Now," Erza nodded.

She led him out of the guildhall and back to Fairy Hills. On the walk over he took opportunities to grope her, but tried to keep it as innocent as possible. People looked up to Erza, and he didn't want that to be tarnished. He was surprised to see that she had taken out her fuzzy handcuffs to use on him almost as soon as they returned to the room. She blushed as she applied them to his wrists.

"I see Cana and Mira got you as well," Erza said.

"Got me?"

"The aphrodisiac. They wanted to make sure we all had a good night. Cana in particular considered it her Christmas gift to the guild. I didn't support of their plan, but I didn't attempt to stop it once they told me they were only targeting certain individuals," Erza told him. "It appears they targeted more than I thought they would."

"Who did they target?" He questioned.

"I think Gray and Laxus were the big ones, along with Alzack. Although they wanted to target Natsu and Gajeel they were unsure if the potion was actually as scentless as described," Erza replied. "I also know that I saw Cana spiking Mira's drink with whatever was left in the bottle when we were leaving. I'm a bit disappointed that I didn't get to see that. I'm also disappointed they targeted you."

"Are you complaining?" Jellal asked her.

"No, but I didn't believe you'd need the encouragement," Erza answered. She immediately requipped into the hottest lingerie he'd seen her wear yet and understood why.

"But how am I supposed to unwrap you?"

Erza blushed. It was at that moment that he knew she hadn't thought this one through. He laughed until she silenced him with a kiss. "Maybe you should see how skilled you are at telekinesis when drunk, then."

Jellal smirked, ready to show her just how good he was.

* * *

 _Omake_

The party was winding down. Jellal had ditched him to go bang Erza, Gajeel was being overprotective of Levy as was par the course with her pregnancy, and Juvia and Gray had been forced to stop their gross levels of PDA. Of Team Natsu only Lucy and Natsu remained. While there were still a good 20 to 30 other guildmembers remaining, he could see that Mira was ready to close up shop.

Although he did catch himself looking at Cana and Mira more than he'd normally dare to in public, he assumed that was due to the alcohol. So far he hadn't had any reason to believe he'd had any of the aphrodisiac himself.

Suddenly Cana called across the guildhall. "Mira! You up for a threesome?"

Heads around the guildhall turned towards the barmaid and then immediately turned away as demonic energy rolled off of her. They all moved away as she made her way across the guildhall towards a far-too-happy Cana.

Laxus leaned forward with curiosity as the two met. Much to his surprise, Mira grabbed Cana and pulled her into a deep kiss. Laxus heard Lisanna stomp back to the kitchen. Kinana followed with a stack of plates. Macao and Wakaba watched with big smiles on their faces.

He felt himself harden as his two friends with benefits started really making out, ignoring all the stunned looks from their fellow guild members. Mira had somehow managed to get Cana's belt undone and her pants unzipped and had taken off her own skirt, revealing the lacy black cheeky panties she wore. Cana's hands helped undo the halter on Mira's dress. Laxus could now feel the aphrodisiac taking over. He fought it, trying not to get up and go to them.

Mira was about to undo Cana's top when she spotted him. Laxus tried to act nonchalant, but it obviously wasn't fooling the demon. She grabbed Cana's hand and brought her over to Laxus. Both of them appraised him before coming to a silent agreement. Cana began to kiss him, clouding his mind enough that he didn't bother stopping Mira as she reached into his pants to grab his erection.

His mind was so clouded that when the girls got him up to go to a guest room he didn't bother to resist, instead he tried to flag down Jellal (forgetting he had long since left with Erza) for a celebration. When he remembered that little complication, he tried to play it off by giving a thumbs up to the other men of the guild.

Not thinking of the consequences, he followed Cana and Mira into the guestroom, happy as a kid in a candy shop.

* * *

 **A/N:** Umm… so that was a sloppy party. I know it was just Jerza week, but I couldn't help including some other ships getting sloppy at the Christmas party.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N:** This is based off of Chapter 14 of Girl Talk. If you haven't read that recently (or at all) I'd really recommend it before trying to digest this chapter.

I know some of the reviewers of that fic really wanted to see the whole Laxus/Mira/Jellal/Erza thing go down, and it would be hot in theory, but tbh I don't think it would actually work out well for a number of reasons (Jerza being borderline single target sexuality, Laxus being shy, Mira only wanting Erza but taking Jellal as part of the package deal, etc.). So, to sate the desire of the readers and amuse myself I've written a semi-AU omake that relies on everyone but Mira chugging whatever aphrodisiac potion Cana had last chapter to show what I think that would actually look like.

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Fairy Tail

* * *

After they talked to Wendy, Jellal invited Erza out for the date. No matter how many times he had seen it, he loved seeing Erza blush and run to her closet, desperate to find something cute to wear. When she would finally emerge, he would watch as she did her hair. As he had every other time, he laughed gently as she finally declared herself "presentable" for their date.

For this date he had spent time consulting with the women of Team Natsu. He led her out the front doors of Fairy Hills and they walked through Magnolia. Erza had no idea where he was taking her, but she didn't want to ask. She trusted Jellal enough. Jellal wrapped an arm around her arms and kissed the top of her head. Erza blushed profusely into his shoulder and pushed him away, still too shy to accept any PDA.

Erza looked surprised when he brought her to her favorite café for breakfast – she probably didn't know how Jellal knew that information.

Jellal pulled a chair out for her. "Sit, I'll go order for us."

Erza looked at him curiously.

Jellal ordered all of her favorite menu items: a piece of strawberry cake, fluffy pancakes, a bowl of fruit, and a cup of hot chocolate. Again Erza looked perplexed, wondering how he knew her order. He ordered something more modest for himself and sat across from his girlfriend.

"So how did you know about this?" Erza asked.

"Let's just say I had a little help," he answered.

Erza didn't look pleased with this theory but let it go. "Thank you for this, Jellal."

"Why wouldn't I do this? It is Christmas, after all."

Erza smiled at him and grabbed his hand across the table. Her thumb began to rub the back of his hand. "I love you."

"As do I," Jellal replied.

"So, I know we talked to Wendy about it this morning, so maybe we should place an offer on that house?" Erza asked him.

"I already did," Jellal replied. "The only reason we didn't do it was your concern about the barn."

"You mean the armory," Erza corrected him. "My armory."

"Yes, of course," Jellal replied. "Have you already decided what you want from it?"

Erza's face lit up. She began to tell him all about how she wanted it to look and what renovations would be needed. He smiled as he listened to her.

When they had finished eating Jellal led Erza out of the café and through Magnolia.

"Where are you taking me?" Erza asked Jellal.

"Does it matter?" Jellal asked, suddenly feeling a lot less confident about his proposal.

"No," Erza replied, smiling.

Jellal almost sighed in relief but doubt still lingered.

Erza stopped and blushed as she looked into a store window. Jellal saw it was a shop that sold wedding dresses. He quickly tried to move her along to the next store: a Heart Kreuz boutique. To his surprise Erza was a model on a poster.

"I didn't realize you modeled for them," Jellal said.

"I didn't," Erza replied. "Until it became a condition of getting free armors for them."

"Do you get free clothing as well?"

"Of course," Erza said. "Although I pawn some of it off on Lucy and Wendy. I rarely wear clothes."

Jellal knew what she meant – that she preferred armor to normal clothing – but he had to blush when he heard that.

"Maybe some day we can model for a couples' line," Erza said awkwardly, as if it had always been a goal of hers'.

"Why?" Jellal asked.

"I- I don't know," Erza replied. "I saw some really cute pictures of Gajeel and Levy in a magazine and I… Well, I wanted some like that of us."

Jellal looked at his girlfriend, thinking about how adorable she was. "Maybe one day. Preferably not a sexy one, though."

"Why not?"

"The women at the Palace were all over me after that came out. I found it rather disturbing," Jellal answered.

"Not distracting?" Erza asked, trying not to be jealous.

"No. Not distracting at all," Jellal chuckled. "I could care less about how they feel."

"But I'd rather do something sexy," Erza replied. "Because it would show them how close we are."

Jellal wasn't sure about that – instead he thought it would show how hot they were together, something that might only up the pining if a girl imagined herself in the place of Erza. "Maybe for private use? I've heard of boudoir photos, but that's usually just the bride."

Erza looked at him, surprised he knew about that type of thing. "Yes, of course." He knew she didn't add 'if you ever propose.' He would fix that today.

They had finally arrived at their destination: a secluded beach on the shores of Magnolia's largest lake. He held her hands as he brought her onto the sand, hoping it would help his nerves.

"E- Erza," he said, gulping for courage. "I- I love you. I always have. And despite all the pain I've caused you, I was wondering if – if you would…"

"I- I've already forgiven you," Erza said, not entirely processing what was about to happen."

"I know," Jellal said softly, smiling at Erza's impatience. He got down on one knee and pulled the box out of his pocket, hoping that would help Erza figure out what he was trying to ask. "Would you marry me?" He was almost too scared to look, especially as he felt a tear fall onto his hand.

Erza took her hands and brought them to Jellal's. She was too emotional to speak, so she simply nodded and brought her forehead to his own. To Jellal's surprise he began to cry as well as he slid the ring onto her finger. Erza collapsed on top of him, pushing him onto the sand, and kissed him through their tears.

Neither Jellal nor Erza looked at the ring. Instead they were content to lay there, holding each other.

* * *

That evening Erza and Jellal walked into the guild, hand-in-hand. Only a few heads turned towards them. Wendy was the first one to run towards the couple and hug them.

"Congratulations!" She said as she looked down at Erza's hands. Erza leaned down to hug Wendy.

"About what?" Natsu called from his table. He got up to follow Gray, who was trudging towards the newly engaged couple.

Lucy and Levy got to the couple first. They congratulated the couple and took Erza's hand to examine the ring closely.

Gray patted Jellal on the back. "Good going."

The girls peeled Erza off towards a corner of the guild, presumably to interrogate her further about how exactly he had proposed. He saw them swarming and decided not to interrupt. Instead he headed to the now-unmanned bar (Kinana, Lisanna, and Mira were all with Erza) to talk to the men.

On his way to the bar a number of men came up to him and congratulated him in varying levels of politeness. Some commented that they were a good match while others were keen to mention how lucky he was to "get Erza's ass to himself." He ignored the men in the later group and thanked those in the former.

At the bar Laxus and Erik sat on either side of him. Gray pulled up a stool of his own. Despite his fragile state, Makarov was helping Cana to pour the celebratory drinks for everyone.

"So what was your strategy?" Laxus asked him.

Erik had a smug smirk on his face. "As usual, he was trying to make up for something."

"Oh?" Laxus said.

"I proposed to her on the beach," Jellal told him.

"Trying to have everything come full circle?" Gray noted. "Since you rejected Erza on the beach before the Grand Magic Games."

Jellal nodded. "I thought it would be appropriate."

"How fast did she say yes?" Erik asked him, curious for some reason Jellal couldn't discern.

"She still hasn't said it," Jellal replied.

Erik snorted and began to laugh, as if he expected the answer – which of course he did.

"But she did put the ring on, and that's what matters," Laxus replied.

"And nodded," Jellal added.

"So that's something," Gray said.

Mira approached the men, Erza at her side "Wendy said there was some magic in the ring," Mira said, obviously annoyed.

Jellal looked nervous.

"It's fine, Jellal. I just want to know what it is," Erza assured him. She held her left hand out to him, as if she expected him to do something with the ring.

"Laxus, give Erza a shock," Jellal told him. Erza had a look of surprise on his face and Mira looked positively murderous. Laxus gave Erza a small shock on her arm. Both Erza and Jellal reacted to it.

Laxus stared at the ring curiously and Mira quelled her magic.

"That's what it does – if Erza is in pain or danger it will alert me so that I can come help her," Jellal explained.

"You don't trust me to care for myself?" Erza asked.

"I do, but I don't want to leave you alone in a time of need again," Jellal told her.

Erza blushed. "Then can I have one for you?"

"Unfortunately, there's no matching engagement ring for me, but I intend to put that capability into our wedding rings," Jellal told her.

Mira smirked. "How romantic," she commented, staring pointedly at Gray. "I'm sure the girls will be interested in hearing that." Mira dragged Erza back over to the girls' table.

"Damn," Erik said. "I thought Titania'd be pissed about that little trick. Guess I owe Meredy some money."

"You knew?" Jellal asked.

"We all knew," Erik replied.

"I'd say it was a smart bet, though," Laxus replied. "Erza doesn't want any guy saving her."

Gray nodded. "Totally. I'd think you'd have to have massive balls to do that if I didn't know Erza was so hopelessly in love with him."

"I still thought she'd be angrier," Laxus said. "Mira certainly is."

"But Jellal doesn't have to deal with her," Erik reminded them.

"Well, Laxus will have to deal with Mira at some point later, so we should fear for his life instead," Gray said.

Erik nodded in agreement. "She was thinking about getting one of those made to put on your –"

Laxus clapped a hand over Erik's mouth, hoping he wouldn't say what Laxus thought he would.

"Perhaps I'll need to protect you?" Jellal joked.

"Tomorrow night somewhere?" Laxus asked him.

Erik snorted. "A man date?"

Laxus dragged Jellal to the back hallway of the guild to make the plans. "We're not doing this at the guildhall. Fuck that."

Jellal nodded in agreement.

"I'll pick you up from Erza's at five tomorrow night and we can drink at some bar across town that none of these idiots can afford," Laxus instructed Jellal. "Not saying which so Natsu and Gajeel don't end up trashing it."

"Sounds good," Jellal agreed.

After Jellal had told Erza that he would be busy the following night Mira had pulled Erza up to the second floor.

"Since your boyfriend is ditching you tomorrow night despite his plans to leave soon after, would you like to come to my house and have dinner?" Mira asked Erza.

Erza, despite her suspicions, agreed. She hadn't had a night to talk to Mira alone in too long. What she didn't know was that there wouldn't be much talking at all.

* * *

Jellal had panicked when he'd gotten Mira's call. Only the two shots of liquid courage got him through the trek to the Strauss home. He could barely stand still as Laxus fumbled with a keyring. While lights were on, it was a safe assumption that Lisanna and Elfman were still at the guild.

Laxus could hardly open the door before Jellal ran in and began to call Erza's name. Normally he'd be more restrained, but the alcohol was getting to him.

"Down here," Laxus grunted, dragging Jellal down a set of stairs to the cellar of the cottage. Jellal didn't see anything suspicious – the cellar was clean, well-organized, and filled with various foodstuffs and storage boxes.

Jellal watched impatiently as Laxus started to fumble around, moving around jars and boxes on the shelves in an attempt to find something. Finally Laxus snorted and stared at a keypad.

"What's the code?" Laxus asked him.

"How should I know?" Jellal almost whined.

Laxus stared at him before turning back to the keypad. "I don't even know how many digits this code's supposed to be!"

"Short it then," Jellal suggested, too impatient for him to figure it out.

"Short it?" Laxus asked. He then paused, realizing what Jellal was saying. Jellal could see the flash of his magic as Laxus sent a charge through the keypad.

Next to the shelf something clicked. The wall swung open, revealing a room filled with candles. Laxus stayed back but Jellal scrambled in.

Inside the room Mira was in her weakest Satan Soul form – something Laxus had said was really only good for looking sexy in. She was sitting on a table with her legs crossed. She was gently tapping one hand with a riding crop held in her other hand. Her eyes bored into Jellal as he entered the room.

"Finally here, as you should've been a long time ago?"

Jellal, too drunk to notice, was singularly focused on Erza. She was still tied up and blindfolded. Although it was unclear on the video, it was now easy to see that she wore little more than her underwear from that day. He went over to the table to attempt saving his girlfriend. "Erza!" He shook her to wake her up.

Erza was moaning again, as she had been in the video. He knew that meant she was waking up. Despite his shaking hands he managed to untie her blindfold. Jellal first saw panic register on her face. Her hands desperately grasped as she tried to summon weapons to free herself from the ropes. He knew he felt just as panicked. When the blindfold was finally off her face she saw Jellal and her expression turned to one of relief.

"It's an anti-magic rope," Mira told them, apparently content to watch.

Hearing Mira's voice, Erza now looked angry.

It was the wrong time for the alcohol to kick in, as Jellal now had to figure out how to untie complicated knots while drunk. He suspected he would fail epically.

"Do you need help?" Mira asked, seeing him looking at Erza with a daunted look.

"No," Jellal almost yelled at her. "I can do this." He wasn't sure he could, but he tried anyways.

"Here," Laxus said, handing him a knife.

"Too dull," Mira replied. Jellal looked over to her. She still looked far too smug for him, obviously pleased to get whatever petty revenge on him she wanted. Obviously she hadn't wanted to get revenge on Erza, so she began to untie her friend despite Erza's objections. Jellal tried to help by gathering the rope as it came off of his fiancé's body.

Jellal relaxed once Erza was free. He placed his jacket around her shoulders, but she shrugged it off and requipped into armor. Jellal kissed her lips and picked her up. She insisted on getting down from his arms.

"You're drunk, Jellal," she said. "I know you're strong enough, but you're more drunk than I've ever seen you. I don't think you'll be able to carry me as far as I want you to."

Jellal wrapped his arm around her waist and made to walk her out of the room. Erza walked over to Mira.

"Don't do that again," Erza told Mira. "And if you need someone to punish in this situation, punish Laxus. He was the one to propose they go to a bar away from the guildhall."

Mira licked her lips and looked over to Laxus, who now looked somewhat nervous. "Oh? And what do you have to say for yourself?"

Jellal finally felt Erza wrap her arm around her waist as she led him from the room. He heard Mira's riding crop hit Laxus once over his clothes.

"How did you not get the code?" Mira asked him.

"How could I?" Laxus snorted indignantly.

"It was my three sizes – just for you – I knew you would come with Jellal, and I assumed you would guess that when drunk," Mira told him. "I guess you're not enough of a pervert yet?"

Jellal knew they needed to bolt before things got too disturbing. Erza had the same idea, running from the basement and out Mira's front door.

Once they were outside and walking towards Fairy Hills, Jellal began to hug her.

"I was scared – I knew you were safe, but I was scared," he told her. "Weren't you? Kyoka?"

Erza shook her head. "I knew I was at Mira's, so nothing would happen."

"Y- you didn't think about your history?" Jellal asked her, feeling guilty once more.

She looked up at his eyes. "No. Not at all. I knew you would be coming for me if I wasn't at Mira's. I- I felt safer because of it." She raised her engagement ring for him to see.

Jellal kissed the ring gratefully.

"You're okay? I should've told Mira to knock it off," Erza sighed. "I know you don't like seeing me in bondage."

He kissed her. "I think the alcohol helped a bit."

"And time," Erza added.

"But told Mira? When did you have time?" Jellal asked her.

"I woke up when she called you," Erza reminded him. "She reiterated that she was doing this to 'punish' you two for having a guy's night right before you left town. I could've told her then to untie me."

"Why didn't you?" Jellal asked her.

"I- I," Erza stuttered and blushed.

Jellal looked at her, wondering if she was secretly turned on by bondage. If she was, he would have to get over his fear.

"I wanted Mira to punish Laxus," Erza replied.

"For what?"

"I heard about his behavior at the Christmas party. Even if he was under the influence, it was wholly inappropriate," Erza answered.

Jellal snorted, drunk enough to not feel bad for his friend.

"B- but," Erza replied. "C- can we have a room like that?"

"What?!" Jellal asked.

"Not the bondage stuff," Erza replied. "I- I know neither of us is comfortable with that… But m- maybe some toys?"

Jellal couldn't help but grab her and give her a lewd kiss, right in front of Fairy Hills.

* * *

 _Omake_

 _(A.k.a. a tale of everyone but Laxus and Mira getting aphrodisiac'd again)_

"Finally here, as you should've been a long time ago?"

Jellal, too drunk to notice, was singularly focused on Erza. She was still tied up and blindfolded. Although it was unclear on the video, it was now easy to see that she wore little more than her underwear from that day. He went over to the table to attempt saving his girlfriend. "Erza!" He shook her to wake her up.

Erza was moaning again, as she had been in the video. He knew that meant she was waking up.

"Jellal?" Erza moaned. That voice awakened something inside him – a feeling that he suspected was heavily influenced by an aphrodisiac. The sight of Erza tied up didn't allow him to become fully aroused, so he couldn't stop himself from untying her (clumsily, and with Mira's help). Only after the ropes were taken off did he remove the blindfold.

Erza looked up at him with the sexiest expression he'd ever seen her give him. She scooted to the edge of the table so she could wrap her legs around Jellal's waist. She moved her lips up to his own, capturing them in a sensuous kiss.

"What'd you do to Titania?" Laxus hissed at Mira, who had come to stand at his side.

"You mean what did I do to both of them," Mira told him. She watched them kiss fervently. "I just gave them all the leftover aphrodisiac from the party."

Laxus snorted. "Why?"

"Because I wanted to see if it would make them more adventurous," Mira explained. As if to demonstrate her point she moved back to the table to help Jellal remove Erza's bra. Somehow both of them were so wrapped up in each other that they ignored Mira. Erza was nice enough to move her legs so that Mira could remove her panties, but quickly wrapped them back around Jellal's hips.

Mira began to help Jellal remove everything covering the upper half of his body. He did the same of Erza, moving enough to let things come off, but ignoring everything else. Mira walked back over to Laxus.

"Doesn't look like you're having much luck there, are you?" Laxus teased her.

Mira glared at him and then seemed to change her tactic. She went over, grabbed a basic vibrator on the wall and then began to rub it over Erza's thigh. Mira lowered her mouth to try and capture Erza's (now unoccupied with Jellal being rather preoccupied between her legs). Erza turned her head away from Mira's and yanked at Jellal's hair, indicating she wanted him to kiss her again. Jellal's hand snatched the vibrator from Mira's hand and stared at it, trying to figure out what it was, and began to use it after reaching some sort of realization.

Laxus snorted. "They're too wrapped up in each other."

Mira turned her attention back to him. She activated her succubus soul, leaving her naked, and walked over to Laxus. "Oh, you want to play?"

Laxus swallowed, turned on but scared. "Nah, I'm good. I'm not one for fucking in front of my friends."

"Aren't I your friend?" Mira asked him.

Laxus stared at her, trying desperately to figure out how to distract her. She was already unzipping his pants. "Hey, why don't you see how kinky they'll get? A little game."

Mira turned back to the amorous couple occupying the table in the room. She walked over to a wall of toys and looked around, finally choosing one. Like the vibrator, she placed it near the body part it was supposed to be used on. Also like the vibrator, Jellal quickly snatched it from her hand and began to put the toy to use.

That gave Laxus an idea. Any time he could feel the succubus setting its eyes on him he would take it around the room to see what they could get Erza and Jellal to use on each other. Both were disappointed to find that the couple was rather vanilla, but they still tried.

About an hour into their game Laxus felt the alcohol wearing off enough that he began to feel like he was intruding. He tried to lead Mira out of the room, but it didn't work.

"Look, Mira, if I remember right, that aphrodisiac's gonna be wearing off soon. Do you really want to feel the wrath of a sober Erza _and_ Jellal?"

Mira smiled at him dangerously. She looked back at the table. Erza and Jellal were now sleeping, wrapped up in each other's' arms. "I don't think there will be a problem."

Laxus backed away as the succubus soul came out in full force. She snapped a length of rope in her hands and stalked over to him. He tried to run away, but she was too quick with the help of her magic. When she was done tying knots, he hoped she'd fuck him, untie him, and send him home quickly. Instead, she gathered up Erza and Jellal's clothes and used her magic-aided strength to carry them upstairs to sleep.

When Mira came back downstairs she kissed him. Finally, he could feel arousal coming to him – Erza and Jellal were hot together, but it didn't turn him on to see his best friend getting it on, especially when Mira was acting in such a terrifying way.

Just when it was getting good, Mira surprised him again. She carried him up to her own bedroom. Erza and Jellal were on the couch, sleeping comfortably under a blanket. In her room, she untied him.

"Let's do it vanilla tonight," Mira told him, dropping her succubus soul. He balked at her.

"What?" Laxus asked. He wasn't nearly as kinky as Mira, so he was happy to hear he might get to do something more up his alley.

"I don't know, Erza and Jellal were just so cute that it inspired me," Mira told him, smiling. "And I know you like it this way more. Think of it as a little Christmas present."

"Fine, fine," Laxus replied. "I'm not complaining." He grabbed her and gave her a rough kiss.

* * *

 **A/N:** I hope you enjoyed that (including the OOC/AU-to-this-story omake). Please Read and Review!


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N:** Sorry for the long wait! Life is crazy right now and motivation is slim. Waits may be somewhat long from here on out. (Then again I already have 500ish words written for the next chapter, so maybe not) This takes place around the time of Girl Talk 15.

This chapter will be a bit more angsty by necessity and subject matter, but the next one will hopefully make up for it?

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Fairy Tail

* * *

Erza walked home from the hospital still unable to get over the excitement of the new guild members. She had insisted on being the first to visit them from the guild, with Mira at her side. They had left Laxus and the other men to prevent the other guild members from running to the hospital.

Meeting the tiny little twins had made Erza remember her baby fever. She had been able to dismiss it for some time with the craziness of planning a wedding and settling into her new house. Jellal had scrambled out to finish Gajeel's job for him, and he wouldn't be available to start trying for at least another day. Still, Erza couldn't shake the feeling of wanting a baby immediately now that she'd seen and held the two squirmy little bundles that day.

Wendy walked silently beside her, still recovering from the site of seeing a livebirth. While she'd perked up when she'd gotten to hold the twins, Erza could tell that the memory of watching the actual event (and the smell) had been a bit much for her. Erza drew up a bath for both of them to relax in and helped Wendy wash the scent of the hospital room off.

In the bath Wendy had caught her off guard by asking her about her desire for a child. She didn't quite know how to respond to Wendy's question, but tried her best. Before she talked to Wendy about the possibility of a child she'd have to talk to Jellal. While calling him was an option she'd considered, she knew it would be better to have such an important conversation in person.

In some ways the wait for their discussion was good. She was nervous about talking to him about children. He'd suggested he'd wanted them earlier, but there were many things he wanted that he didn't let himself have. She wouldn't let him deny himself (or her) children, but she also didn't want to force him into anything so big: she didn't want him to resent the children or for them to have a rough childhood. Not that she thought he'd resent them, but there was always the possibility of him running away as well. Her mind raced as she tucked herself into bed, thinking of a hundred other things that could make the conversation go wrong.

* * *

The next morning, she walked into the guild after a longer-than-normal morning workout. She needed to get all doubts out of her mind before approaching Jellal. Whenever he returned. She contemplated to go on a job herself just to avoid Jellal, even if nothing on the board was of interest to her.

"I'm assuming we need to talk?" Mira asked her.

"N- no," Erza replied. "I'm fine."

"You sure?" Mira asked sweetly."

"No. I mean – Yes. We need to talk," Erza agreed.

"Good. Twenty minutes in Laxus's office?" Mira asked.

"Is he not there today?" Erza asked.

"Well, with the baby fever I was feeling, I fear I've tired him out too much to come in today," Mira replied.

"You aren't planning to beat me to a baby, are you?" Erza asked, rivalry trumping any anxiety she had about her conversation with Jellal. As much as she hated to admit it, Mira knew exactly what notes to hit when Erza needed to get her mind off of something.

"No," Mira replied. "But practice is sufficient for now. It's too bad Jellal had to leave last night. You could've gotten some practice in as well."

Erza looked down at the table, not wanting to start a fight with Mira. "Fine. Twenty minutes in Laxus's office."

She walked up, feigning confidence to avoid stares from her guildmates. She doubted many would notice with their massive hangovers from the party the night before, but those that were alert enough would pay attention.

Inside Laxus's office Erza found small touches of Mira. Cana, while Laxus's friend with benefits, could care less about an actual relationship between the two. She didn't attempt to intertwine their actual lives. Mira did. Not because she cared about being more than good friends, but rather because she wanted him to always be thinking about her. Even if there wasn't a relationship to wear the pants in, Mira wanted everyone to know that she wore the pants in whatever they had.

Erza noted that she'd changed the picture of the S-class mages on a shelf out to one of them together. A couple books had been moved to a new shelf to make room for her extensive collection of Weekly Sorcerer issues on the shelf closest to his desk. It wasn't much, but it was enough to show where Mira's influence had creeped in. She sat in a cushioned leather chair and anxiously waited, her thoughts racing once again.

Mira opened the door soon after she entered, Bisca following behind her.

"I brought help," Mira said.

"Help?" Erza asked.

"I'm assuming this is about having babies of your own, so why not bring the one person able to answer your questions right now? Especially since you're such good friends," Mira replied. "I don't have a break either, so I need someone else to talk to you."

Erza stared at her best friend as she slinked out of the room. Bisca pulled the chair from behind Laxus's desk and pulled it across from Erza.

"Mira was tellin' me that you're worried about somethin'?" Bisca asked her.

Erza nodded. "I don't know if Jellal wants to have kids or how he'll even react."

"Are you pregnant now?" Bisca asked.

"No," Erza sighed. "No, I just – I want kids."

"I understand. You're worried about what Jellal thinks," Bisca said.

Erza nodded. "I- I know he's interested. I just – well – I don't know if he'll let himself have them."

Bisca chuckled. "I know Mira's told 'ya before: he wants kids with you. Badly. Everyone knows it."

"How?"

"Well, at least for Alzack and I…" Bisca paused. "He's been really good with Asuka, and has been asking Alzack more and more about the pregnancy and Asuka's early years."

Erza perked up and then looked back at her lap. "That doesn't mean anything."

"That's exactly what Alzack did when he wanted kids but was too scared to ask: he went to our neighbor with young kids and began to ask about having kids of his own in a roundabout way," Bisca told her. "But I was just as worried as you – I had no idea how he'd handle actually having a kid despite the hints."

"But I don't know-"

"Just talk to him! Communication's part of a successful relationship," Bisca reminded her.

Erza stayed silent. "I guess..."

"There's something else about this too, isn't there?" Bisca stated. It wasn't even a question that something else was bothering Erza.

"I- well- I've been stabbed and injured in my stomach so many times," Erza reminded her. "I don't – I don't know if I can even have kids and how Jellal will feel about that."

"Let's not cross that bridge until we come to it. We can get it checked out soon, before you even get a chance to talk to Jellal about the potential problem," Bisca assured her. "But I'm sure you'll be fine."

"Can we go right now?" Erza asked her.

"Probably not to the actual OBGYN, but certainly to Porlyusica. I bet she'd be able to tell us what we need to know," Bisca said. "I'll just make sure Asuka's being watched and then we'll set out."

They walked side-by-side, with Erza insisting on hearing Bisca's stories about Asuka. More than ever Erza wanted to know what she had missed out on in Asuka's life. Once they arrived Porlyusica was grumpy as ever. She was obviously tired. According to her Gajeel had insisted that Porlyusica spend the night with them at the hospital out of some unfounded worry that magical babies needed some extra kind of care that a normal hospital couldn't provide.

Inside her house Porlyusica had Erza pee in a cup, give up some blood, and submit to a physical exam. Bisca noted it was similar to what a normal hospital would do. Unlike the hospital, Porlysica used a combination of herbs and lacrimas to test the samples.

"You won't be able to have kids at this rate," Porlyusica snorted before any results even came back. Erza looked completely stone-faced. "You're on that birth control potion all the girls are on. You need to go off that for at least a month before you can hope to get pregnant."

"But if I do stop taking it?" Erza asked.

"That's what we're finding out right now," Porlyusica told her. "Physically there's nothing wrong, so I don't see why you couldn't get pregnant if the tests come back normal."

"They better be normal," Erza mumbled as she stared at the vials that were now turning brilliant colors.

* * *

The tests did end up being normal, which brought Erza back to her original conundrum: how she would broach the topic with Jellal. He had returned that evening from the job he completed in Gajeel's stead. He was in the bathroom. She was lying on the bed staring at a book she couldn't pay attention to.

Erza nervously looked over her book as Jellal walked out of the bathroom, freshly showered and ready for bed. She knew he would be too tired for sex, so she didn't make any advances towards him. Erza tried to look back at her book as he slid under the covers next to her. Jellal leaned over to her side of the bed hoping for a kiss, but none came.

"Is something wrong, Erza?" He asked, concerned for her. Usually she insisted on the good night kissing and snuggling, even if they were both tired.

"Levy gave birth yesterday," was all Erza could spit out.

"Yes, I know," Jellal said, looking at his fiancé curiously.

"Shutora and Yajee are adorable," Erza told him. "And- So- I-"

Jellal blushed, catching on to what she was saying as he stared at her equally red face.

"Do you want kids?" She stammered out.

"Of course," he replied, reaching out so he could kiss her hand. "I want nothing more than to have kids with you some day."

"Some… day?" Erza asked, turning towards him.

Jellal seemed to realize he'd said something wrong, so he tried to fix it. "We can start trying tonight if you'd like."

"N- no. That's okay," Erza replied. "But you want them, right?"

"Will I ever be able to convince you that I want them as much as you do?"

"It's not you," Erza said.

"I know. I know why you doubt it – I rejected you far too long," Jellal admitted. "But I do want children."

"Maybe not tonight, but can we start trying soon?" Erza asked.

"This week soon? No," Jellal replied.

Erza looked hurt and confused. Again he had to backtrack.

"I want to wait until after the wedding," Jellal replied. "We're both stressed out with the move and wedding planning, so I think it would be smart to wait until that weight is lifted."

Erza's face changed to one of consideration.

"Besides, if we succeed, and I believe we will," Jellal paused to make sure she was once again looking at him. "You would miss the Grand Magic Games this year."

"That is a fair point," Erza conceded. "So, then. After the wedding?"

"Yes, I promise," Jellal told her. He leaned over to kiss her, to assure her of his promise. She leaned her forehead to touch his, finally feeling at peace.

* * *

The next morning Erza and Jellal walked to the guild together with Wendy. Jellal watched as Erza turned her head towards every shop with baby things in the window. He chuckled as her eyes began to twinkle before turning to frustration, knowing she would have to wait to buy the items.

"Will the twins be at the guild today?" Erza asked Wendy.

"I don't think so," Wendy replied. "I think they're trying to keep them at the hospital a bit longer since they're a bit small."

Erza sighed with disappointment.

"Maybe we can go visit them again?" Wendy asked her.

"I can wait," Erza replied. "Jellal hasn't gotten to meet them yet."

"I'll have plenty of time to meet them, Erza," he reminded her.

Erza looked at him.

"A- are you going to have children?" Wendy asked them again.

"Why do you ask?" Erza questioned, knowing the girl had asked last night.

"W- well, I heard you two talking about it last night, just a bit," Wendy said.

"We were hoping to have children after the wedding," Jellal told her.

"You'll be getting younger siblings," Erza confirmed, smiling at the girl.

"Siblings?" Jellal asked Erza, an amused expression on his face. "I thought she was like a younger sister to you?"

"Yes," Erza said.

"And our children would be our children," Jellal told her,

"Of course," Erza confirmed. "Why wouldn't they be."

"So if she's your sister, wouldn't she be their aunt?"

Erza looked up at him cutely, processing what he was telling her. "I suppose," she concluded.

"So you'll be an aunt, Wendy," Jellal told her.

"I- I guess," she blushed.

Jellal watched as Erza suddenly looked a lot more excited. "Are you sure we can't have them sooner, Jellal?"

"Remember, no Grand Magic Games or drinking at your wedding if you're pregnant before it," Jellal said.

Erza frowned, but nodded in agreement.

"If all goes well, it's only a little over a year," Wendy told Erza.

Jellal reached down to grab Erza's hand so he could squeeze it. She looked down at their hands and smiled. "One year."

"One year," Jellal said in agreement.

* * *

 **A/N:** So, next chapter will come eventually? It should be less fluffy and more funny.


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N:** So I'd already written quite a bit of this chapter for Girl Talk, but I thought it would work better here, so I put it with this story. Therefore, this directly corresponds to Girl Talk 16, and that will add extra context to this.

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Fairy Tail

* * *

As Wendy had gone on a visit to Lamia Scale they had figured it would be the perfect night to break in the new king bed they'd bought. Erza, being too impatient, had only made it as far as the living room before she pushed him on the couch. She stripped him and requipped her clothes off so she could mount him quickly. Despite the lack of foreplay, the anticipation of having the house to themselves had turned them on enough that it was not necessary.

Jellal was happy to oblige Erza. He found himself groaning enthusiastically as he rocked into her. He ran his hands through her hair as she kept her nose pressed up against his. He felt their breathing got faster as did the rocking when then felt their climaxes coming.

Then a buzz interrupted them. Usually he'd ignore it, but the end table was close enough that he caught a glimpse of the message. Jellal immediately froze. Erza could feel him losing all arousal, and fast. When she felt him trying to pull out she put one hand on his butt to keep him inside of her and used the other to grab his communication lacrima. She narrowed her eyes at it, as if it had personally offended her. Once she read the message she only looked more offended.

"A marriage proposal? I thought that only happened at parties?" Erza asked him. He tried to wiggle out of her grasp, but she simply put the communication lacrima back down and used her other hand for reinforcement.

Jellal looked away. "You know what my job was for, correct?"

"Last fall?"

He nodded.

"To see if that man in Alvarez would be adequate enough to be engaged to Queen Hisui," Erza told him.

"Well, he's visiting next week," Jellal replied, still staring at the wall. "And there's a party to welcome him here that I am expected to be at. Somehow the nobles find the idea of an arranged marriage romantic and are now stepping up efforts to marry off their daughters before the party."

"C- can you bring a plus-one to the party?" Erza asked him.

"Probably, but I've never done it before."

"I'll come, then," Erza told him. "And I'll wear my engagement ring. I- I'll even kiss you or hang off you if necessary."

Jellal looked at her face in shock. "I thought you wanted to wait a little longer to announce our relationship."

"It's fine," Erza said. "I don't want any other girls thinking they might be engaged to you."

Despite the clarity of her voice, Jellal could tell she was embarrassed to say such a possessive statement. Jellal felt himself harden at Erza's proposal. Not only was her jealousy cute, it was also quite sexy. He heard Erza let out a little moan as she responded to his body.

Erza looked him in the eye. "I'm going to that party."

Jellal immediately began to rock his hips again. "I'll look forward to it." He stole her lips, eager to spend the rest of the night with her.

* * *

Erza had made it to Crocus a few days after Jellal had. While he was required to be there for some preparations she took a few days to buy an appropriate dress. She had wanted something sexier or that would at the very least show off her muscles to make her more intimidating to the girls pining after Jellal, but unfortunately nothing of the sort was considered appropriate.

The morning before the ball she and Jellal had decided to go for a relaxing run. He needed to blow off steam before he could stand to return to the palace and Erza simply wanted some morning exercise. On their path back to Crime Sorciere's headquarters a guard greeted them with a handwritten note addressed to Jellal. The guard explained that it was urgent, leading Jellal to open it unceremoniously.

Erza's face dropped as she read the note. She grasped it from Jellal's hands and held it up to her face, reading it over and over. "I- Ichiya's coming."

Jellal frowned. He'd begged the queen to ban him from the gathering, not wanting to see Ichiya drooling all over his fiancé, and she'd agreed. Apparently Hisui knew that Ichiya was known for his interesting habits around certain female mages. But here was the note, apologizing and explaining that she could not say no when one of her greatest political allies wanted to bring Ichiya as a plus one.

Erza ran off into Crime Sorciere headquarters. Seeing that she was incredibly upset Jellal crumpled up the note and ran after her. He found her furiously getting ready to head out of the palace.

"I'm sorry, Erza," Jellal told her.

"It's okay," Erza told him. She shoved a toothbrush into her mouth before she tried to speak again. "I'm going to pick up the rings."

"What?" Jellal asked her.

"I'm going to pick up the rings," Erza said after taking the toothbrush out of her mouth. "We're going to the city offices to get married later today."

Jellal stared at her. "I- I thought you wanted to wait for the wedding so your time and effort in planning it didn't go to waste?"

"I don't care anymore," Erza replied. "We're getting married."

"Fine. I'll wear the rings," Jellal sighed, knowing that much he wouldn't fight with her about. "But we will not get married."

"And why not?" Erza asked him.

"Because I don't think we'll whip out the documents in the middle of such a large party to prove our relationships. The rings should be enough," Jellal explained.

"And Ichiya?"

"He'll be happy to know you're happy," Jellal replied. "He likes me."

"Likes you?" Erza sputtered.

"Not like that," Jellal replied, equally flustered after realizing how Erza had interpreted his statement. "He likes me with you. He knows I make you happy."

Erza smiled softly and kissed him. "You'll do the rings, though?"

"Of course," he said. He kissed her back.

* * *

Jellal and Erza walked to the jeweler they had ordered their wedding rings from. Although Jellal tried to convince Erza that the rings wouldn't be ready she insisted that they try. They approached the small shop slowly. Jellal gulped as he held the door open for Erza.

"Are our rings ready?" Erza asked the woman at the counter.

"Your name?" The woman asked.

"Erza Scarlet," Erza replied.

"And Jellal Fernandez, I presume?" She asked, nodding to Jellal. She pulled a ledger from a desk and checked it. "Your rings won't be ready for another two months."

Erza looked somewhere between annoyed and panicked.

"Do you want me to get temporary ones?" Jellal asked her quietly.

"No. I have another option," Erza replied.

"Is everything okay?" The shopkeeper asked. "Were you planning to elope?"

"No, no. The wedding's still planed for the summer. We just need something for the ball tomorrow night," Jellal replied.

"Ah, I understand," she replied. "The nobles and their petty ideas about premarital sex."

Erza and Jellal both began blushing.

"You don't need to hide it," The woman told them. "They all do it too."

"Honey!" A voice called from the back. Jellal recognized it as the voice of the jeweler. As one of Fiore's best Jellal had visited many times to get things for Erza.

The shopkeeper went to the workroom and the jeweler came out to speak with them. "Sorry about her. She can be hardheaded at times."

"I- it's fine," Erza mumbled.

"Sorry your rings aren't here. I've sent them out for the enchantment you requested," the man said.

"It's fine," Jellal said. "I understand this is sudden."

"Wanting to prevent girls from hanging off of you?" He asked Jellal. "Or men from hanging off her?"

"Both," Erza and Jellal answered together.

"I might have something for you. One second." He shuffled back to the work room. A minute later he emerged with two rings, both of silver. They had a small vine etched into the surface with small diamonds placed near the leaves. "These are prototypes for a promise ring line I was asked to design."

"Really?"

"Heart Kreuz asked me to make some designs aimed at young couples. This was one of the rejected ones."

"Why was it rejected? They look good to me," Jellal said.

"They thought it didn't appeal to their target demographic enough or fit their brand's image," he answered. "But I might sell them myself as wedding or promise rings. Especially if you're caught with them on they'll net good sales. I'll let you borrow these for the ball on the marketing angle."

"Will they fit?" Jellal asked.

"They should. I made them in your sizes," the jeweler told them.

"Why?" Erza asked.

"I heard through the grapevine that this was a possibility," he said, watching their reactions. "No. Actually I was hoping you'd model these for the promotion."

"Fair," Jellal replied. "Is that the price to rent them? Modeling?"

The man snorted. "Well, if you're wearing those the day of the ball and marriage rumors surface that will be all the promotion these need."

"If that's your price," Erza said, staring at the rings. "Consider it done."

* * *

They walked to the train station in somewhat formal greeting wear. The prospective future king of Fiore was set to arrive on a train from the coast and they were expected to greet him. Jellal and Erza had put on their matching rings before leaving in case any of the noblemen accompanying them to the station would begin discussions of Jellal's marital status.

At the station a crowd waiting for the arrival parted to let them through. They saw a few cameras in the crowd and plenty of reporters on hand, but both foolishly assumed those cameras would only look for headlines in who was being picked up, not in who was picking him up.

Erza wanted to hold Jellal's hand. She would reach over to it, but couldn't bring herself to grab it. Despite the rings she didn't want to be so affectionate in public. He would brush her hand in reassurance, but didn't grab it. Erza tried to hide her blush.

Jellal could see the mild surprise registering on the face of a few observant reporters, but nothing that would suggest they'd try to get a story out of it. The noblemen with them had given Jellal some strange looks, but hadn't brought up the ring. So far, the ploy seemed to be working as intended: keeping discussion of any potential engagements for Jellal suppressed.

When the prince of Alvarez arrived Jellal shook his hand in greeting after a short bow. Erza did so as well. After feeling the cold band on his finger, the prince gave Jellal a strange look. Still, even after they entered their private carriage he did not bring it up.

* * *

When Erza got back from the train station, she went into Jellal's room to relax before the ball that evening. Well, not relax, but to go on a run. She had to manually put on the new running clothes that she had just bought.

During the run she mulled over what she had been doing the last couple of weeks. She had decided to accompany Jellal to Crocus while he helped to arrange the visit from Queen Hisui's likely future husband. As the one that had gone all the way to Alvarez to personally vet him, Jellal was expected to be part of the party welcoming him to Fiore.

While Jellal had been planning with the other palace staff members, Erza had been doing a series of short and (relatively easy) jobs around Crocus – mostly protection or monster-hunting ones that took her no more than a day. Since S-class jobs tended to take longer, she couldn't commit herself to one. When she came back Jellal was usually too tired for sex, but after some long days of planning he didn't want to sit through he'd be positively ravenous. Erza suspected he slept through most of those meetings.

Today was the day they had been planning for: the arrival of the man from Alvarez everyone was waiting for. After an official delegation picked him up from the train station (one that included Jellal and Erza), Jellal, the Queen, and various other nobles showed him around the Palace. Tonight would be the ball where (if all went well) the couple would appear together for the first time.

Erza also expected it to be her debut as a couple with Jellal. While all of Fairy Tail and Crime Sorciere knew of their relationship, it wasn't common knowledge yet. In fact, Erza hadn't intended to show off any relationship with him – she intended to sit with Laxus as an official representative of Fairy Tail. That is, she didn't intend to until she saw Ichiya's name on that official guest list. That made her want to show off their relationship. Jellal, being _her_ arm candy, couldn't say no.

When she returned from her run, expecting to get ready with Jellal, one of the maids from the palace was waiting outside her door.

"Mrs. Fernandez?" The maid asked.

Erza initially had a look of shock on her face, but then remembered they'd worn their (future) wedding rings that morning. It would be sensible to assume they were now married – that was what Erza had intended, even if the ruse was only meant for one person in particular. "Yes?"

"Queen Hisui wanted to discuss something with you. As you were both occupied earlier, she invited you to get ready in her quarters with her," the maid said.

"R- really?" Erza asked, shocked at the invitation. Queen Hisui had never talked to her before. She couldn't turn down an invitation from the queen, so she didn't. "J- just give me a minute." Erza rushed into the room, took her dress out of her requip space (assuming she wouldn't need to requip into it), and hung it up.

Erza followed the maid through the garden and into the Palace. She walked through the long marble halls of the palace hoping that every door was the Queen's door. Despite requipping, she was still so sweaty that she felt self-conscious passing by the perfectly groomed staff and aristocrats of Fiore.

Somehow, the Queen didn't notice. She simply invited Erza into her room and brought her in.

* * *

Despite being pampered by Hisui's servants Erza felt truly inadequate. She stood outside the doors to the ballroom with Jellal waiting to be let in. This time she did squeeze his hand for a little reassurance. She had no idea where she would be sitting, but as she was officially attending as an ambassador of Fairy Tail, she and Jellal had assumed she would be sitting with Laxus.

As someone said their names a servant pushed them through the door. Erza steeled her nerves and put on her best battle face as she tried to walk into the room as gracefully as possible. Unlike the other couples she saw enter she did not grip his arm. Frankly, she didn't know what she was supposed to do or where she was supposed to go. Heads had turned to look at them, but none looked too surprised at the confusion.

Halfway into the room an usher brought both to a long front table. When Erza demanded to know why she wasn't seated with the other guild ambassadors, the usher meekly replied that the queen thought it would be more appropriate to seat them together, given the rings. Erza didn't know what that was supposed to mean: whether it meant Hisui thought they were married or whether she supported their desire to not be bothered with random proposals.

Erza was surprised to see they were some of the last ones to be seated. Only a few nobles came after them. The last two seated were, of course, Queen Hisui and her father. The prince from Alvarez was seated between Jellal and Hisui. He was obviously enamored by Hisui. Jellal could tell it was love at first sight on his end. Hisui wasn't betraying any of her own emotions about the situation, instead focusing on her pre-meal speech and the customary greetings of her guests.

During dinner conversation was awkward and slow. The couple greeted each other pleasantly but with obvious hesitation. Erza didn't know if they didn't like each other or if they just didn't know what to say. Jellal would occasionally squeeze her hand under the table. While he tried to facilitate conversation by bringing up the similar interests of the two Erza could do nothing but listen. They would occasionally invite her to comment, but she didn't know what to say. She drank down a flute of champagne (and then Jellal's) as she listened. The pleasant buzz the alcohol made the awkwardness more bearable.

When dinner finished, Erza tried to walk around the ballroom. Before she could get away from the table the other mages in attendance found her.

"You two get married?" Laxus asked them. Jura, Sting, and Kagura stood near him.

"W- what?" Erza asked. She looked around, only to see that Jellal had been dragged off by some nobleman. She smiled as she saw Jellal not-so-subtly wave his ring by the nobleman's face, after which the man backed off. He was quickly replaced by another.

"You're both wearing rings," Kagura said, grabbing Erza's hand and lifting it for Jura and Sting to see.

Jura nodded over to Jellal. "He is wearing a matching one."

"N- no! We're not married," Erza replied. "Our wedding will be this summer."

"Then why the rings?" Kagura asked.

"W- we didn't want to be harassed," Erza said, looking around. "By people wanting to marry Jellal."

"And Ichiya," Laxus snorted knowingly. He looked over to where Ichiya was flirting with a few noblewomen.

"And Ichiya," Erza confirmed. "Has he noticed?"

"No. Or at least he didn't comment on it while he was sitting at the table," Kagura replied.

"But you're engaged at least, right?" Sting asked.

"Of course," Erza said. "I'm surprised you didn't hear. Jellal said Sorano told Yukino."

"Yukino probably knows her sister wasn't supposed to tell her," Sting said. "She's the smarter one of the two. And the hotter one."

Erza sighed, gazing over at Jellal.

Jellal looked at her across the room. After that first noble word about the ring had spread fast. He'd only had one nobleman ask about his daughter after he had first flashed the ring, and that was only because the man had been the second in line to ask that night. Still the men had worked to separate him from Erza so they could interrogate him about her – as if they still had hope they could stop the engagement. He hoped he could coax her over with just one look.

Erza could tell that Jellal was in trouble: he was surrounded by noblemen and their very pretty daughters. His look was as close to a pleading one as her fiancé could have. When she walked over the mages with her followed, probably for extra support.

The noblemen around Jellal parted to allow Erza to reach Jellal in no small part due to her intimidating look. The closer she got to him, the deeper Jellal saw her blush get. He wondered what her plan was. When she reached him, she grabbed his hand and turned him towards her. He was shocked by the public display of affection, even if it was just something small. He was even more shocked when she reached her head up to kiss him on the lips. When she pulled away from the quick peck he could see her face was cherry red. She looked at where their hands were still intertwined instead of maintaining eye contact.

Kagura held a hand to her face while Sting and Laxus smirked, ready to laugh at the scandalized noblemen. Jura nodded with a smile on his face.

The noblemen quickly scattered to let the mages talk. Too soon Ichiya was upon them, sniffing up Erza. He froze when he saw the ring, and then looked at Jellal to see a matching one.

"Hello, My Honey," he said, dramatically handing her a rose. As usual, she rejected his advance.

"Hello, Ichiya," Jellal said for his all-too-annoyed fiancé.

"I hadn't heard you were married to her," Ichiya said.

Jellal didn't know what to say – they weren't married. He felt stupid for not discussing what to say when he would inevitably ask. Erza was already slinking away, so she was no help. In fact, she had managed to get herself swarmed with even more young noblemen and women who were eager to hear from such a famous mage.

"If it had to be someone, I'm happy it's you," Ichiya told Jellal. "Because you're the one who makes her happy."

Jellal smiled softly at him. "Thank you. I'm glad it was me as well." He looked over at where Erza was enthusiastically recounting some battle or other to a group of adoring fans. Somehow the night was going better than he could have ever anticipated.

* * *

Around eleven in the evening Jellal and Erza were finally able to slip back into his bedroom. Somehow he had managed to prevent Erza from getting absolutely sloshed, but she was still noticeably intoxicated. He would have to tell her that it was okay to refuse drinks next time she went to one of these parties.

As soon as the door closed behind him Erza was already stripping out of her dress, leaving only a very short slip and some underwear between him and her naked body.

"Strip," Erza commanded him.

"Erza, you're drunk," Jellal protested.

"I don't care. I'm sober enough to consent," she replied. "So strip." She sat on the end of Jellal's bed and crossed her legs demurely.

"Erza, I don't think-"

"I don't care," Erza said. "Off with your clothes."

Jellal swallowed and fiddled with the buttons on his formal jacket. "Are you-"

"Yes, I'm sure," Erza said. She summoned a dagger to her hand. "Strip. Or I cut off your clothes."

This was the first time Jellal had ever had Erza get aggressively drunk towards him, although he supposed it was a mix between aggression and the horniness he had experienced from drunk Erza before.

Erza walked towards Jellal. Before he knew it she was working on his pants, apparently too eager to get his jacket or shirt off first. As soon as Erza had undone the fastenings she tugged both his pants and boxers down roughly. She looked up at his face, back down to his hardening member, and licked her lips. Although he was tired, at that sight he knew he would be in for a long night, and not because of any obligation to Erza. He decided he wanted this as well.

* * *

The next morning Jellal woke up, having only gotten two hours of sleep. He looked over to Erza. As had become her habit, after they were finally too tired for another round she went to bed naked and then requipped back into her pajamas. If while asleep she had decided she wasn't quite done, she would unconsciously would become naked once more. He thanked his lucky stars that it wasn't the case that morning. They both needed rest.

He wrapped his arms around her and tried to get back to sleep, not realizing Erza had also woken up. She began to mutter something.

"Jealous," was all he could make out.

"You were jealous?" Jellal asked, guessing at what she was trying to tell him.

She rolled over and nodded into his chest.

"Is that what last night was about?"

She nodded again. "Among other things," she said, not looking up at him.

"You're adorable," he replied. He smiled as he reached his head down to kiss the top of her head. "Why were you jealous?"

"I- I don't know. I just saw all those pretty noblewomen and –"

"You're much prettier than any of them," Jellal assured her. "And even if you weren't, you're still much more than I could every hope for from them."

"How?"

"You're smart, strong, and kindhearted. They're… Well, they're not any of that. They're vapid gossipmongerers, not that they have much more to do in their lives."

"And I do?" Erza asked, seeming more vulnerable than he'd seen in a while.

"You do more in a day than they'll do in their lifetimes," he told her. "And I'm happy to be part of that."

"I'm glad you're a part of it," Erza sighed. He felt her tense muscles relax into his arms.

"I'm glad to have you," He said. Jellal stroked a hand down her back to reassure her. Once he felt her fall back to sleep, he did as well.

* * *

 **A/N:** Hope you enjoyed! The next chapter may or may not take a while. I hope the fluff/implied smut was enough to tide you over until then.


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